The Best Quinoa Salad

Sometimes it is hard to get inspired but other times inspiration hits like a bolt from the blue.  I was happily struck by inspiration the other day when I created this salad.  It has a large chunk of the components from List 1 (your daily dose of leafy greens, nuts, carrots, and whole grains) and this recipe makes enough to bring to a summer barbecue (and nobody will turn their nose up- I guarantee!).  I hope you like it.

Asian Quinoa Salad

1 1/2 c. cooked quinoa
1 carrot, grated
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, diced
1 c. broccoli florets, lightly steamed
1 can baby corn, drained and rinsed
1 can chickpeas (or other bean that you prefer), drained and rinsed
1 bag baby spinach
1 c. whole raw walnuts

Dressing:

1/4 c. rice vinegar (or sushi vinegar)
3 Tbs. olive oil
2 Tbs. soy sauce
1/4 c. peanut butter
4 Tbs. orange juice

Prepare the quinoa by putting 1 c. dry quinoa into 2 c. cold water.  Bring to a boil with the lid off and then stir, reduce heat to med-low, and cover.  Cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.  At the end of that time if the quinoa looks a bit mushy spread it out in a bowl to cool.  Meanwhile, steam your broccoli until it is bright green and still crunchy, 2-3 minutes.  Rinse under cold water to stop the cooking.
Compose your salad with everything except the walnuts and spinach and stir in the dressing.  Make a bed of baby spinach in a broad bowl and pour the salad on top, then sprinkle walnuts on top.
This is a very pretty salad and so very healthy.  One variation is to substitute the quinoa with cooked chow mein noodles and you've got an asian noodle salad.
If you prefer more of a mexican flavour you can substitute the broccoli with fresh tomato and avocado chunks, use black beans or kidney beans, and use the a light ranch dressing.  Yum!

Thinking Thin

You know the old adage "think thin"?  Well I believe there is some truth to that.  I have only been doing this regimen for 2 1/2 days and I already feel slimmer (which is great until I look in the mirror and realize that it has only been 2 1/2 days.)  Still, I am having a great day today.  I woke up feeling clear and humming with energy when it usually takes a certain amount of grumbling before I launch myself out of bed.  My mind feels less foggy and I am generally more pleasant to be around.
Here is what I figure:  I have probably been full of candida for most of my pregnancy and it peaked when I had to have a huge dose of antibiotics when the baby was born.  Since then I just haven't felt right.  My digestion and complexion were poor, I had a foggy brain (granted that might have partially been due to "baby brain"), and I just felt all around polluted.  I haven't done an herbal cleanse in a couple of years due to being pregnant, breastfeeding, and then pregnant again so I know things were building up.  Now I am giving my poor ol' body a break from all of the naughty stuff that I was eating to help myself feel better (ironic) and I have to say it is so rewarding to feel immediate results, even if they are not visible.

Another thing that I am happy about is that I have finally had success in making a perfect batch of yogurt!  While this may not seem thrilling to most people, I have been trying for so long with such poor results that it is nothing short of a miracle!!  So I will now share the recipe and process with you.

Yummy Yogurt

1 L 2% milk
1 c. skim milk powder
1/2 c. plain yogurt with active cultures (room temperature)

You will also need a cooking thermometer and (the secret weapon- thanks again Alton Brown) a heating pad with a low setting.
Heat the milk to 150 degrees and add the milk powder.  Let the milk cool to 118-120 degrees and gradually stir in the yogurt.  Combine well and pour into your container (I use a tupperware).  Now wrap the heating pad around the container and secure with a rubber band.  Put a blanket or sweater over it and keep it cozy for 6-8 hours with the temperature on low (or medium if your pad is as wimpy as mine).  Refrigerate overnight and enjoy!
If the consistency is too runny then it wasn't kept warm enough, if it goes curdy then it was too hot.  This morning mine scooped like softened ice cream.  Yay!  Have fun with this, it is way cheaper than buying good yogurt and it is so fresh that the happy little bacteria do great things for your body!  Enjoy!

Recipes for Strict Week

Initially I was pretty baffled as to what I was going to eat on Strict Week.  After all, so much of our food has dairy, gluten and sugar insidiously incorporated- even in "health food".  So I did a little poking around in my multitude of cookbooks and found a couple of recipes for tasty Strict Week alternatives.

Baba Ghanouj / Hummus
The recipes for these two dips are so similar that it is a 2 for 1 recipe.

1 medium eggplant / 2 cans chickpeas drained and rinsed
1/4 c. tahini
lemon juice from 1 lemon
1 fresh garlic clove, chopped or 3 cloves lightly sauteed in olive oil
1 Tbs olive oil (more doesn't hurt)
1 tsp chopped parsley
(if the hummus is too dry you can add more olive oil and a splash of water if necessary)

Preheat the oven to 350.  Drizzle some olive oil on a baking sheet.  Halve the eggplant lengthwise, sprinkle the cut side with salt, leave for 10 minutes and pat dry with a paper towel.  Place the cut sides down on the baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes or until it is nice and soft and the skin is wrinkly.

Place all ingredients in a food processor or blender and zip it until creamy.  Season as desired with salt and pepper.  Enjoy with fresh cut veggies and a handful of almonds for a filling and hearty meal.

Breakfast Smoothie
In the interest of keeping my calcium up for breastfeeding I have made one dairy exception for yogurt.  I usually split this up and have it twice in the morning to boost the ol' metabolism. 

1/2 c. plain yogurt
1/4 c. soy milk or juice
4 oz frozen mixed berries
1 ripe banana
any other soft fruit that you might like
2 Tbs. hemp protein powder (or other vegan option)

Enjoy!