Welcome in the back door of Feel Good Guru’s kitchen! If you stop by often, we’ll let you in on all our secrets (ok maybe not all of them but some of our juiciest) and Andrea Sarjeant, our resident holistic nutritionist in training will give you a hempload of nutritional information on some of the ingredients that show up often in our recipes.
Whether you’re a recent arrival on the plant-powered train or an ancient evolved kitchen chemist, our “Secret Ingredients” section will arm you with the info you need to power up to the next level of your cleaner, greener, leaner lifestyle.
Y-ommm
How to show your liver a good time
Have you ever heard the expression, “If you want something done, ask a busy person to do it”? That busy person is your liver. As we discussed last week, your liver is basically your body’s taskmaster, handling everything from filtering your blood to metabolizing carbs, fats and proteins.
With April in full effect, we would like to continue the theme of rejuvenation and help you show your liver you love’r – this week, with lemons.
But first, here are some famous lemons:
- Jack Lemmon
- Meadowlark Lemon
- Liz Lemon
- Lululemon
- My dad’s first car
During the California Gold Rush in 1849, people would pay up to $1 per lemon! That’s equivalent to almost $30 today.
Lemons are cooling, cleansing, detoxifying, rejuvenating and purifying. They are antimicrobial, antiseptic and anti mucous.
All you need is the juice of half a lemon and a glass of room temperature (or warm, just not cold) filtered water. Drink first thing each morning, on an empty stomach, for the following benefits:
- Antioxidants. Namely hesperitin and naringenin, flavonoid phytonutrients with high antioxidant properties. Lemons are also high in vitamin C, which, as we know, is a powerful antioxidant. Antioxidants help to protect against free radical damage.
- Alkalizing. A diet high in sugars, starches, fats and proteins can acidify the body. Although lemon juice is acidic, it actually has an alkalizing effect. This is due to the high mineral content (potassium, calcium, magnesium and phosphorous).
- Digestive aid. A glass of water with the juice of half a lemon, consumed 20-30 minutes before a meal, will stimulate stomach acid and aid in digestion. Additionally, this will help digestion if you are sitting down to a big meal… this could come in handy over the long weekend. Just saying.
- Show your liver a good time. Lemons are considered to be especially beneficial to the liver because lemon juice encourages the production of bile. Bile, as we know, helps to emulsify fats and safely eliminate toxins from the body. Lemons can also help the liver to make more enzymes.
- Encourage bowel movements. Some people say that they no longer require coffee to “get things going” once they start drinking lemon water each morning.
- Secondary benefits. You may notice that your skin looks better and that you feel less sluggish throughout the day.
Some other ways we like to enjoy lemons:
- A refreshing lemonade on a hot day made from lemon juice, filtered water, and a natural sweetener of choice. Add a pinch of sea salt for an electrolyte replacement drink.
- At Feel Good Guru, did you know that we add whole lemons to your smoothies? And we liberally use lemon juice to flavour soups.
Feel Good Guru’s Homemade Pink Lemonade
makes a pitcher of 8 small glasses
1 dozen large, ripe organic strawberries
4-5 small juicy lemons
8 cups spring water
5 quick squirts agave nectar or a sprinkling of stevia
mint sprigs for garnish
Blend strawberries with a little water. Squeeze in lemon juice, straining out the seeds. Stir in agave nectar or stevia and top pitcher with water.
Mix well, taste, and adjust sweet-sour flavors to your liking. Serve in wine glasses with a strawberry and mint garnish.
Spring cleaning and bitter greening
Spring is springing! When spring hits, we have more energy, generally feel lighter, and are inclined to spring forth with a mighty leap. Why is that, exactly?
Spring is a time of renewal and new beginnings. Just look outside – small buds are pushing up through the ground and the dreary landscape is changing to a vibrant green. The days are getting longer and the sun a little brighter. These same changes happen for us too. We sleep a little less, we start to rise earlier with the sun and eat lighter foods as we feel the need to shake off the sluggishness of winter.
Spring symbolizes rebirth, making it the best time of year to cleanse. Spring, in Chinese medicine, is represented by the liver and the gall bladder and spring cleanses generally take these guys into consideration. The liver and the gall bladder are crucial in detoxification – the liver uses bile to package and eliminate dangerous substances from our bodies.
That’s not all. The liver is one of the largest organs in the body, and has many other roles, including:
- metabolism of carbohydrates, fats and proteins
- blood sugar management
- storage of vitamins A, D, K and B12, and their metabolism
- hormone deactivation
- cleanses blood (around one litre per minute!)
- maintains health endocrine system and digestive processes
- bile production
… and how was your day?
The liver represents emotional states of happiness and cheer – its negative emotion is anger. The gallbladder represents love, forgiveness and compassion and its negative emotion is bitterness and indecisiveness. So, in other words, if you’re planning to cleanse this spring, be prepared for negative emotions to come up. Try to focus on positive affirmations of love and joy.
So how can we support these amazing organs during the spring? One way is to increase our consumption of bitter foods. When it comes to digestion, bitter is better. Bitter foods stimulate digestive enzymes and bile production, helping us to detoxify.
But bitter is a flavour that we, as North Americans, generally don’t like. When was the last time you had a salad of bitter greens that wasn’t masked by a super sweet dressing?
Which brings us to our secret ingredient of the week: dandelion greens! Yes, they are the greens attached to your (likely) yellow-headed lawn nemesis. And yes, they’ve got some attitude (they’re pretty bitter), but, if you stick it out with them, you will learn to love them.
Fun fact: while dandelions were being rooted from lawns in North America, they were also being used as medicine in Europe, China and the Americas.
Here are some health benefits of dandelion greens:
- a source of calcium, iron, vitamin K, and the antioxidant vitamins A, C and E. These guys will even help your body through the detox process, as they help to prevent against free radical damage.
- act as an appetite stimulant. Their bitterness makes you salivate, which will help to produce digestive enzymes, and will help your liver to do its job!
Here are some ways to enjoy these bitter beauties:
- In smoothies – if you’ve been ordering Feel Good Guru’s SuperGreenSmoothie over the last few weeks, you will know this!
- Sauteed – with chopped garlic, chili flakes, tamari and a tiny splash of maple syrup (SO good).
- In salads – throw a few leaves into any salad.
- As a pesto – see below:
Feel Good Guru’s Dandy Dandelion Pesto
3 cups packed fresh organic baby arugula or spinach
2 cups packed fresh dandelions
1 cup olive oil
1 cup organic sunflower seeds
1 large tbsp miso (cold mountain mellow white)
2 large cloves garlic
Blend all ingredients in cuisinart and dollop into your favorite hot pasta or brown rice. Or just spread on sprouted grain crackers as a super-healthy cleansing appetizer.
Sweet potatoes
Not a nightshade, not going to impact your blood sugar, and not really a yam (unless you’re in North America).
Sweet potatoes are a staple in the FGG kitchen, and for good reason – they are loaded with nutrients, are super good for you, and are absolutely delicious. We know that you are probably pretty versed in the sweet ‘tater’s benefits and use them in your own kitchens, but here are some fascinating facts that will hopefully persuade you to partake of them before salad season begins.
Legend has it that sweet potatoes were introduced to Europe in 1492, by Christopher Columbus, when he returned from his exploration of the New World. Interestingly, this was around 100 years before the white potato was introduced to Europe.
Sweet potatoes are often called yams and the terms are used relatively interchangeably in supermarkets. But sweet potatoes are not related to yams at all – yams are a starchy vegetable that is common to South America and are not likely to be found in North American supermarkets.
Sweet potatoes are especially high in nutrients with antioxidant activity:
- Vitamin A, by way of beta carotene, which is beneficial for the eyes and skin. Incidentally, beta carotene is what gives sweet potatoes (and squashes, and carrots) their beautiful orangey colour.
- Phytonutrients called carotenoids, which are antioxidants that are known as the “gatekeepers” of the cell, helping to minimize free radical damage and eliminate cellular waste.
- Vitamin C, a potent antioxidant.
- Manganese and copper, minerals that are cofactors in superoxide dismutase, one of the body’s most powerful antioxidant enzymes.
- Root storage proteins, some of the proteins found in sweet potatoes, that are found to have antioxidant properties… sweet!
Sweet potatoes are sweet, but they are low on the glycemic index, meaning that they won’t have a strong impact on your blood sugar. Believe it or not, they are lower than white potatoes! One of the reasons for this is because sweet potatoes are high in dietary fibre, which actually helps to slow the absorption of sugar into the bloodstream.
So grab as many as you can, and, if you have the pleasure of buying organic, you don’t even bother with peeling them. Here are some more ways to incorporate sweet potatoes into your life:
- Add them to any soup – if you’re looking for some soup inspiration, see recipe for Kathmandu Stew below.
- Straight from the oven lovin’ – pierce your sweet ‘tater a few times with a fork, and place in oven until soft. Cut open, top with a little coconut oil and get ready for a mind-blowing side dish.
- Chips or fries, home-style – cut in desired shape and roast in the oven with desired seasonings (olive oil and rosemary, olive oil and thyme, sesame oil and sesame seeds…).
- Win/win baking – sweet potatoes can be added to cookies or cakes for sweetness, texture, health benefits and cool factor.
Feel Good Guru’s Famous Kathmandu Stew
(serves 4)
1 medium sweet potato, diced
2 carrots, diced
1 medium red onion, diced
2 cups organic red lentils, rinsed well
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 or 2 tsp sambal oelek or dried red chilis
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp cumin powder
3 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp turmeric
pinch cinnamon
pink Himalayan sea salt to taste
4 cups water
1 small bunch of fresh cilantro
This recipe has become the most requested of all the dishes I made for Forks Over Knives and has been re-published in several places, including in the Huffington Post.
It’s a really nice mildly curried, sweet red lentil and sweet potato stew that’s satisfying served alone or with a
simple raita made with soy yogurt, toasted cumin seeds and cucumbers.
In a dry cast iron pan on high, gently toast all the spices until cumin seeds start to pop.
Add rinsed red lentils and stir until the spices are mixed in. Add a splash of water and continue stirring. Add sweet potato, carrots, onions, sambal oelek or chilis and the rest of the water. Stir and cover on high. Bring to a boil, then stir again and turn down to low to simmer for about 20 minutes or until sweet potatoes and lentils are cooked.
Add a sea salt to taste, adjust spices to your liking and serve garnished with fresh cilantro.
Seaweed
Sea veggies are usually the under-appreciated flavouring to our side-dishes. But did you know that seaweeds have ten to twenty times the minerals of land vegetables, and the broadest range of minerals of any organism?
The many varieties of sea vegetables share many similarities, such as high amounts of calcium, iron, phosphorous, potassium, manganese, sodium, zinc, and are a good source of vitamins A, C and B. They’re also especially high in iodine, which is essential for thyroid function, including metabolism. Certain varieties can also help to neutralize and remove heavy metal and radioactive substances from the body.
Sea vegetables are also sources of protein. Dulse and nori contain 20-34% protein, making them excellent additions to a meal.
Try to get a small serving of sea veggies each day. As a bonus, because sea vegetables are rich in iodine, you can ditch your iodized salt. Yay!
Here are some of the different tangly beauties, which can be found at the health food store:
Nori – yes, this is the seaweed that wraps your favourite sushi rolls. Try making your own sushi at home, wrapping leftovers in it, cutting it into strips with which to garnish a salad, or brush it with coconut oil and sea salt and grill it for a snack.
Dulse – this is a personal favourite seaweed. It can be found whole or in flakes. Buy it whole and toast it in the oven for a few minutes until it’s crispy, then add it to a sandwich with avocado, tomato slices and sprouts. Or eat a few pieces of it with some apple slices.
Arame and hijiki – these sea vegetables are said to contain ten times the calcium of milk. Soak them and add them to a stirfry or salad.
Kombu – as a member of the kelp family, its best talents are best used for cooking. When cooked with beans, kombu helps to soften, and renders the final beans more digestible. Kombu is also used as a flavouring in dashi, the traditional Japanese soup base.
Wakame – is one of the seaweeds that is highest in calcium. Soak for a few minutes, remove the tough midrib, and use the rest as you would a leafy green.
Feel Good Guru’s Sea Vegetable Chowder
1 tbsp vegan butter such as Earth Balance organic buttery spread
6 cloves garlic
half a red onion
1 large organic carrot
2 organic celery stalks
1 organic potato
1 organic yam
1 organic red pepper
6 or 7 shiitake mushrooms
half a cup of wakame
4 small strips of kombu
1 nori sheet
1 litre of plain soymilk such as Westsoy unsweetened (or rice or almond) milk
1 bay leaf
2 sprigs of fresh thyme or 1 tsp dried
1 tsp paprika
Celtic sea salt
Fresh ground pepper
In a soup pot on medium heat, melt the vegan butter. Peel and press the garlic into the butter. Dice the red onion and add to the pot. Stir and allow to sweat a few minutes.
Dice the carrot and celery and add to the pot. Stir.
Meanwhile, rinse and soak the wakame in spring water. Rinse the kombu and set aside.
Slice the shiitake mushroom caps, discarding the stems, and add to mixture.
Dice the potato and yam and add to the pot. (I prefer to leave the skins on if the veggies are organic, but if you don’t like the texture of skins in a soup, peel them.) Stir until all the veggies are moist and warmed.
Drain the wakame.
Add the paprika, sprigs of thyme and bay leaf and cover the veggies with spring water (about 2 cups, depending how large your potatoes and carrots are).
Turn the heat to high and allow the potatoes and yams to soften (about 15 minutes).
If you need more water to allow the potatoes to cook, add more water.
Turn the heat down to low and add the kombu, wakame and red pepper and simmer for five or ten minutes.
Just before serving, add the soymilk and bring the soup back up to temperature, being careful not to boil. Season to your taste with the celtic sea salt and fresh ground pepper, and garnish in the bowl with a sprinkling of kelp or crumbled nori.
Tempeh
During the holidays, when I was up north with my family, I made marinated tempeh for dinner. When he sat down and took a bite, my father proclaimed, “Where’s the meat? Who cares!”
Tempeh has a “meaty” texture that can satisfy some of the most adamant of carnivores. But it also has many health benefits. Tempeh is one of the best ways to enjoy soy. Unlike tofu, tempeh is fermented. This means that your belly will have an easier time digesting it. Also, fermented foods contain beneficial bacteria that help to restore the balance of good to bad bacteria.
Tempeh is high in protein AND fibre. Four ounces of tempeh will give you 40% of your recommended daily value for protein, and plenty of fibre.
Tempeh has isoflavones, phytochemicals that are said to benefit cholesterol levels, the prostate, and menopause symptoms.
Tempeh is a good source of calcium, potassium, iron, riboflavin and magnesium.
You can buy tempeh in the refrigerated or frozen section of your local health food or grocery store. One of the best things about tempeh is that you can stock up and keep a few packages in your fridge or freezer. Tempeh thaws quickly and doesn’t require much planning. And it’s really versatile.
Here are some things that you can do with tempeh:
- Marinate and grill or bake slices of tempeh and add to a sandwich
- For a faux bacon, slice tempeh very thinly, brush it with marinade and bake it in the oven
- Steam it and serve it atop some brown rice and leafy greens
- Grate it or chop it finely and add to a pasta sauce
- Stir fry it with a little tamari, ginger, garlic and sesame oil
- Make a delicious burger (recipe below)
Feel Good Guru’s Curried Tempeh Burgers
(makes 1 dozen patties)
1 small-medium onion, diced
1/2 cup organic pumpkin seeds
2 cups loosely packed baby spinach, chopped
1/2-1 cup rolled organic oats
3 Tbsp mild white miso
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp mustard seeds
2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp coarse Celtic sea salt
pinch of cayenne
1/2 cup of spring water
Open tempeh packages and crumble finely into a frying pan with a splash of water. Add onion and simmer for a few minutes on medium until everything feels incorporated. Add just enough water so nothing sticks (about 1/4 cup).
Meanwhile, make curry paste by combining in a small bowl miso and spices with about 1/4 cup of spring water.
Transfer tempeh from the pan to a bowl and add chopped spinach and pumpkin seeds. Stir in curry paste. Sprinkle in oats to adjust consistency. The oats will absorb excess water and help everything stick together. If your mixture feels very wet, add the entire cup. If not, try half a cup. Your mixture should stick together when you squeeze it in the palm of your hand.
Form into patties and bake for about half an hour on 325. Flip after 15 minutes to ensure even baking.
Heat through on the barbecue and serve in a multi-grain bun slathered with homemade sundried tomato pesto made by blending sundried tomatoes with pumpkin seeds, a pinch of sea salt, fresh ground pepper and just enough water to form a thick spread.
Kale
Kale, how do we love thee? Let us count the ways! Kale really is a staple in the FGG kitchen. Here’s why we love it:
1. Kale is really good for you.
Kale is known to be one of the most nutritious foods on the planet and really gives you a good bang for your buck in the nutrient department. Kale is especially high in vitamins A (for your skin and eyes), C (for immunity), K (for reducing inflammation) and minerals calcium (for your bones), magnesium (for relaxing smooth muscle), potassium (for your muscles and nerves), iron (for your cells), to name a few.
2. Kale contains a variety of antioxidants and phytonutrients.
Kale is extremely rich in phytonutrients, luteins and zeaxanthin (carotenoids that help protect your eyes) sulforaphane and isothiocyanates (sulfur compounds that increase the liver’s enzymes to help to neutralize potential toxins) and quercetin (a powerful antioxidant).
3. Kale grows in the cold months.
A leafy green that actually gets sweeter after a frost… kale could be the national food of Canada.
4. Kale is easy to find.
Nowadays you can find kale at nearly every grocery store. There are a few varieties of kale: curly kale, the standard, curly leaf variety, and dinosaur, or lacinato kale. Lacinato kale is an heirloom variety that hails from Italy and has darker, more blue-toned leaves and a milder flavour.
Try to buy organic kale whenever possible. Since kale is a leafy green, it can be sprayed heavily with pesticides. For more information about pesticides in produce, visit Environmental Working Group’s site.
5. Kale is versatile.
There are so many ways to incorporate kale into your life. Here are a few:
Blend it into your smoothies to boost the vitamins in your breakfast.
Add finely chopped kale and a squeeze of lemon or lime to a mashed avocado for a delicious salad.
Use kale instead of basil in your next batch of pesto.
Saute it with a little garlic, chili flakes and tamari.
6. You can even make chips out of kale:)
Feel Good Guru’s Addictive Cheesy Kale Chips
1-2 bunches organic curly green kale
1 cup cashews
1 lemon, juiced
pinch sea salt
1 Tbsp nutritional yeast
drizzle olive oil
If you’re just making for yourself, one nice sized bunch of kale is good. I like to estimate about 1 bunch per person munching.
Wash and thoroughly dry kale. Remove leafy kale from thick stems.
In a blender, blend cashews, lemon juice, sea salt and nutritional yeast until well blended. You can leave a few chunks.
Massage cashew mixture into kale along with a little drizzle of olive oil. If you have leftover cashew mixture, add it to blended creamy soups, thin it out with a tiny bit more water and use as a veggie dip, or spread on pumpernickel.
Place one layer thick on a cookie sheet and put in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes. Watch closely because once they start to go, you’ll want to turn them a bit so they bake evenly.
These can also be made at much lower heat, just for a longer time.
Nutritional Yeast
We recently hosted a L.O.V.E. Cafe for a bride-to-be and her favorite bachelorettes. Nutritional yeast was an ingredient we pulled out a few times, for our “Addictive Cheesy Kale Chips” our “Vegan Spanakopita” and to sprinkle on our “Live Linguine Alfredo.” Several of the gals emailed the next day to say they had gone to the health food store to pick up their new go-to ingredient.
If you’ve ever had a vegan mac and cheese that was gooey and cheesy (and you couldn’t figure out where the cheesy taste came from), chances are, you have nutritional yeast to thank. Nutritional yeast is the ingredient that gives vegan dishes their cheesy taste and often orangey-yellow colour that mimics the yellow cheese of our youths.
Believe it or not, nutritional yeast is actually good for you too. It’s a staple in the vegan kitchen. It’s actually a nutritional supplement that’s chock full of vitamins and minerals.
Nutritional yeast is very similar to brewer’s yeast, as it is made from cane sugar and beet molasses. Nutritional yeast is inactive, meaning that it won’t continue to grow while it’s in your belly, and won’t contribute to Candida or yeast sensitivities.
Nutritional yeast contains all of the essential amino acids. When something is ‘essential’, it means that our bodies cannot make it, so we need to get it from food. Because nutritional yeast has all 18 essential amino acids, it’s a complete protein.
Nutritional yeast is also high in the B vitamins, which are known as the “energy vitamins” because they help to convert the food we eat to energy. This is especially important for vegans, as some of the B vitamins, especially B12, are hard to obtain on a plant-based diet.
Nutritional yeast is a source of chromium, a trace mineral that is helpful in regulating blood sugar.
Here are some ways to use nutritional yeast in your own kitchen:
- sprinkle it on pasta instead of cheese, or on top of steamed rice and veggies
- dust it on tofu slices before grilling, for a crunchy crust
- add it to salad dressings, sauces, hummus and smoothies
- use it on your favourite snacks like homemade popcorn or kale chips
- combine it with ground nuts for a vegan cheese
You can find nutritional yeast in the bulk section of your local health food store.
Feel Good Guru’s Vegan Parmesan
1/2 cup raw organic walnuts
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
1 tsp coarse sea salt
Pulse in a food processor a dozen times until nuts are ground and nutritional yeast is incorporated into a “parmesan” consistency.
This will keep in the fridge for several weeks. Put it in a shaker and you always have it handy when you want to shake over pastas, salads, popcorn, anything you want to give a cheesy flavour!
Hemp
…it’s not just for sandals
Yes, it’s a variety of the cannabis sativa plant. No, it won’t make you fail a drug test. In fact, hemp is a versatile nutritional powerhouse that provides us with good fats, vitamins, minerals and usable proteins.
Hemp provides a near perfect ratio of omega-3 and omega-6 essential fatty acids. This is important because these compounds are in our cells in the same 1:3 ratio. Omega-3 (alpha-linolenic acid) converts to EPA and DHA, which are the coveted compounds responsible for reduced inflammation and increased wellbeing.
Hemp is a source of vitamins and minerals, such as: magnesium, vitamin C, E, beta-carotene, calcium, fiber, iron, potassium and B vitamins 1,2 and 3. And also, because it supplies the essential amino acids, hemp is a complete protein. So head out to the health food store (usually in the bulk section) and grab some hemp.
Here’s how to incorporate it into your life:
Hemp hearts are basically just shelled hemp seeds. They have a mildly nutty flavour and pleasant texture. Sprinkle a tablespoon on cereal, salads, or add to a smoothie to boost protein, nutrients and good fats.
Hemp oil is a polyunsaturated oil that is perfect for drizzling and making salad dressings – as long as you don’t cook with it, as heat can damage the oil.
Hemp milk is made from hemp hearts. It’s a wonderful dairy or nut milk substitute that can be added to smoothies and cereal. You can buy hemp milk at the health food store in a variety of flavours. Or, if you’re feeling mildly adventurous, you can try making it yourself.
Feel Good Guru’s City Hippy Hemp Milk
1 litre of spring water
3/4 cup hulled organic hempseeds
2 organic medjool dates
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
pinch sea salt
pinch cinnamon
In a powerful blender on high, blend hempseeds until creamy.
Strain with a cheesecloth or fine strainer into a bowl or mason jar, then blend again with the dates, vanilla and sea salt. Use it while it’s fresh, but if you keep it covered in a mason jar in the fridge, will keep for 3 or 4 days. Give it a shake and use it as a delicious milk or cream substitute. Y-ommm
Quinoa
Quinoa has a well-deserved spot in the Feel Good Guru kitchen and we think you’ll love to have it in your kitchen too.
Quinoa was cultivated in South America by the Aztecs and Incas. It was eaten by Inca warriors to increase their stamina, and has been referred to as “mother seed.”
It has many health benefits:
- Containing all of the essential amino acids, quinoa is a complete protein. It is especially high in lysine, an essential amino acid that is beneficial for immunity and tissue repair.
- Quinoa is a great source of dietary fibre, containing both soluble and insoluble fibre.
- It’s rich in vitamins and minerals, such as manganese and copper (for bone density support), magnesium (for smooth muscle relaxation) and iron (for energy production and metabolism.)
- Quinoa is a versatile seed that is suitable for those with sensitivities to wheat – it’s gluten free, low glycemic (meaning that it won’t spike your blood sugar) and easily digested.
Quinoa has a nutty flavour that can lend itself to nearly any cooking style. It can be found in white, black and red varieties for extra visual excitement. Here’s how to incorporate more quinoa into your life:
- For breakfast: top cooked quinoa with some berries, unsweetened coconut flakes almond milk and a sprinkling of nuts for a high-protein breakfast. If you want a more porridge-like consistency, mash a ripe banana into the quinoa instead of adding berries.
- For desserts or special occasions: grind quinoa into a gluten-free flour that can be used for baking or pancakes. Yes, you can use your coffee grinder to do this.
- For lunch: add some cooked quinoa to a green salad or make a quinoa salad. Read on for the recipe!
- For dinner: use it instead of rice or couscous when you’re making a stir-fry, or add it to a soup or stew for added protein and texture (if you had last week’s Cosmic Corn and Quinoa Stew, you’ll already know this!)
Feel Good Guru’s Mediterranean Quinoa Salad
for 2:
3 cups cooked quinoa
1/2 cup organic chick peas, soaked overnight and cooked (or half a can of organic chick peas)
5 sundried tomatoes, chopped
half a cup of hulled hemp seeds
half a Persian or English cucumber, diced
2 Tbsp capers
3 large spicy olives, pitted and chopped
half a cup of toasted pine nuts
1 organic lemon, juiced
pink Himalayan sea salt to taste
To cook quinoa, wash and rinse first, then cover 2-1 with water, bring to a boil, then turn down to minimum
and cook, covered for 15 minutes.
For this recipe, try cooking one and a half cups of quinoa with 3 cups of water. It will expand and yield 3 cups or so of quinoa.
Mix everything together in a bowl, then drizzle with fresh squeezed lemon juice and add salt to taste. Depending how juicy your lemon is, you may wish to add more. Or you can also squeeze in the juice from an orange for a lovely sweet and tangy flavor.
You can serve this warm, chilled or room temperature.
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