If you haven't tried quinoa yet, your missing out.  Quinoa (pronounced keen-wa) is a protein laden grain; in fact it has more protein that any other grain and a near perfect balance of essential amino acids (the building blocks of proteins).  It also has phosphorous, riboflavin and iron.  For those kids with gluten allergies, it is also gluten-free.  So if you haven't added it to your kids diets, you should try it out.  It's readily available at natural food stores and cooks relatively quickly without much work.

Here's a recipe to kick off that quinoa introduction, or a new take for those of you that are quinoa experts.  And it's got some great cheese flavor, thus making a cheese cracker your kids can enjoy while they get some great minerals and protein in return.

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Serves: 4-6

Pre-heat oven to 375F.  Grease a baking sheet.  Make sure to use plenty of oil, the cheese can make the crackers stick.

1/2 cup quinoa

In a clean coffee grinder or mini-blender, grind quinoa until it is a flour-like consistency.

In a medium bowl combine quinoa flour with:

1/2 cup finely grated white cheddar cheese (use a microplane to grate)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Mix with a fork, then add

3 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup warm water

Stir with a fork until combined. Dump out mixture onto a baking sheet.  With a rolling pin, roll into a thin rectangle.  Using a pizza cutter, slice into 3/4" squares.  Using either a skewer or a toothpick, punch four holes into each square.

Bake for 15 minutes.  Remove from oven then re-press scores with a spatula to insure separation.  Remove crackers with a spatula, then cool completely.  Makes ~28 crackers.