When I first began blogging on nature-drunk.com, I posted recipes as well as nature related pieces. Then I started a dinner club that brought together my closest foodie friends. We meet once per month to share recipes and wine. To journal our foodie adventures, I began documenting our experiences on my food blog, wineandhoneys.com. Along with the juicy details of our ladies’ nights, I feature recipes written by yours truly.
Although many of my food entries don’t always make it onto Nature Drunk, I will occasionally re-post those from Wine and Honeys that I think my nature loving readers will enjoy.
The following piece was originally posted on wineandhoneys.com, May 2, 2012.
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My sister says they look like fish eggs, I say they look like heaven, especially when they’re mixed in a bowl with Granny Smith apples, dried cranberries, pecans, brown sugar and yogurt.
Quinoa is super easy to prepare (takes about 15 minutes), can be served sweet or savory and is chock-full of nutrients.
This pseudocereal:
- Is a complete protein — includes all nine amino acids — good choice for the vegan
- Is a close relative to the spinach, beet, chard and, if you can believe it, the tumbleweed families
- Was once considered “the gold of the Incas”
- Is good for heart related illnesses, post-menopause, migraines, cancer, asthma and gallstones
- Is NASA approved for space travel diet
- Can thrive in as little as three to four inches of annual rainfall
To get you cookin’ with quinoa, I’d like to share a recipe I concocted today. It’s made with red quinoa which has a slightly nuttier taste than the brown variety. If you like this recipe, you will love this one.
Fruit and Nut Quinoa
1/2 cup cooked quinoa (prepared according to package instructions)
1/2 Granny Smith apple, chopped
Small handful dried cranberries
1 Tbls toasted pecans, chopped
1 tsp organic brown sugar
Dollop of organic soy vanilla yogurt
Mix all ingredients together and enjoy! It’s that simple.
This would make a nice breakfast bowl or afternoon snack. To save time, prepare a large pot of quinoa at the beginning of the week and refrigerate. When you get hungry, take out enough for a serving then add whatever ingredients sound good to you: basil, tomatoes and feta drizzled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar; or black beans, fresh corn and salsa; or – this one sounds especially good to me — eggs, smoked cheddar cheese and green onions — talk about a good helping of protein!
Whatever you choose, make it fun, make it healthy. After all, we are only on this planet for a very short time.
