Showing posts with label quinoa. Show all posts
Showing posts with label quinoa. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 10, 2015
Sprouted Quinoa The Mother Grain
I fell in love with quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) the first time I ever tried it in Ecuador. Its a staple food of the Quechua, the indigenous people of the South American Andes. The ancient Incas called quinoa the "mother grain" and revered it as sacred.Technically, quinoa isnt a grain at all, but the seed of the Goosefoot plant. Grain. Seed. Whatever. I just love its delicate, slightly nutty flavor and the fact that its gluten-free. Its also considered to be a complete protein due to the presence of all eight essential amino acids needed for tissue development in humans. Grains like barley, wheat, and rice generally have less than half the protein of quinoa.
The seeds cook very quickly and always provided a nice, fluffy texture to my stews and soups. The thought of giving up my beloved little grain when I transitioned to a raw foods diet made me very sad. That is, until I discovered that quinoa seeds can be sprouted and eaten as raw, live food in salads and wraps. Turns out, it sprouts almost as quickly as it cooks. Well, not quite, but in 8-12 hours you have little baby quinoa sprouts. Hallelujah for the living mother grain!
For easy directions on sprouting quinoa, check out these Sprouting Instructions from the Sproutpeople®. And, from the basic to fancy schmancy, check out this assortment of sprouting kits.
Heres a couple of my favorite ways of enjoying quinoa in the raw.
Marinated Quinoa Salad3 C sprouted quinoa
1/4 C olive oil
1 Tbsp tamari
juice of one lemon
juice of 1/2 lime
2 cloves garlic, minced
handful of fresh mint, rough chopped
10 grape tomatoes, sliced
1/2 onion, diced
1 cucumber, chopped
1/2 C red bell pepper, chopped
handful of goji berries
Marinate sprouted quinoa for 20 minutes in olive oil, tamari, citrus juices and garlic. Add mint, tomatoes, onion, bell pepper, goji berries and toss. Serve on a bed of red and green leaf lettuce.
Quinoa Raisin Cookies
yields two dozen
1 C quinoa, soaked overnight and rinsed well
1 C almond meal **
1/2 C local raw honey or agave nectar
1 C raisins, soaked
2 tsp cinnamon
pinch of sea salt
Place quinoa, almond meal, honey, cinnamon and salt in a food processor and process until dough-like. Transfer dough to a large bowl and hand mix in the raisins.
Using a spoon for scooping, place small dollops on a dehydrator tray lined with a Teflex sheet. Use the bottom of a drinking glass to gently flatten. Tip: Wipe the bottom of the glass between cookies to prevent sticking.
Dehydrate at 105 degrees for 4 hours. Remove the Teflex sheet. Dehydrate another 4 hours. Climate, temperature and humidity all affect dehydrating time. The cookies should be crispy on the outside and still moist inside.
**Almond meal is raw, whole almonds that have been finely ground. I like Trader Joes brand and you cant beat the price.
Sunday, March 8, 2015
Easy Black Bean Corn And Quinoa Stuffed Peppers With Enchilada Sauce Vegan And Gluten Free Perfect For Your Super Bowl Buffet
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| Stuffed bell pepper halves are perfect for a casual buffet. Follow Foods For Long Life on FACEBOOK . |
Easy Entertaining
Its football season and friends and family may be gathering around the big screen, especially on super bowl weekend. Heres a simple crowd pleaser that can be made early in the day and baked right before half time.
Diet Friendly
No need to abandon our Vegan, High Fiber Diet. Each stuffed pepper half is less than 200 calories and provides a healthy 7 grams of dietary fiber. Quinoa and beans deliver high quality protein with all of the essential amino acids.
And if you select a gluten free enchilada sauce, such as La Victoria, this dish is completely gluten free!
* * * *
Black Bean, Corn and Quinoa Stuffed Peppers with Enchilada Sauce
Vegan, Gluten Free
Requires a 9" x 13" casserole dish
[makes 8 servings]
1/2 cup dry quinoa
1 cup water
4 large green or red bell peppers
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
15 ounce can (no salt added) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup corn kernels
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
salt to taste
3/4 cups Daiya cheddar style shreds
1 3/4 cups gluten free enchilada sauce, medium spice
Rinse the quinoa in cold water for several minutes. Place in a small saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 15 to 18 minutes or until all of the water is absorbed. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Carefully cut the peppers in half vertically. Remove the seeds and rinse. Steam or boil until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Remove and drain.
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| Partially cook the peppers until they begin to soften |
Heat the oil in a medium fry pan and cook the onions on medium low heat until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about one minute.
Mix in the cooked quinoa, black beans, corn, cumin, black pepper, salt (if desired), Daiya cheddar style shreds and 1/2 cup of the enchilada sauce. Stir until well combined.
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| Combine the rest of the filling ingredients with cooked onions |
Place 1 cup of the enchilada sauce in the bottom of a 9" x 13" casserole dish.
Fill each half pepper with the filling and place in the casserole dish.
Drizzle the remaining 1/4 cup of enchilada sauce over the peppers.
Cover with foil and bake until hot and bubbly, about 30 minutes.
Remove from the oven and serve.
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| Bake in the oven covered with foil until hot. |
Per serving (8): 195 calories, 5 g total fat, 1 g saturated fat, 90 mg omega-3 and 603 mg omega-6 fatty acids, 0 mg cholesterol, 7.5 g protein, 31 g carbohydrates, 7 g dietary fiber and 540 mg sodium.
For a complete meal, serve with Mango Avocado Salad with Lime Chia Dressing. This salad recipe can serve at least 4 people as a side salad. Double it to serve 8.
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| Mango avocado salad with lime chia dressing |
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