Summer Quinoa Salad

I A month or so ago we splurged and picked up a quinoa salad from a local organic deli. It was the most amazing quinoa salad I had ever tasted. Since then, I've been trying to replicate it, and this is as close as I have come.

Quinoa is a wonderful grain to have in a diet, its hearty, healthy and very high in protein. Because it is high in protein it will help keep you full a lot longer than other grains such as white rice and corn. The protein content also contains all 9 essential amino acids important for our bones and muscles and brains to stay happy and healthy. Its also a low glycemic index grain, meaning it won't spike blood sugar after eating it, another way it helps to keep you full longer. Complex carbohydrates take longer for the body to break down, so you can have energy longer and not feel sluggish (like you might after eating a giant bowl of pasta!). Some other perks of quinoa are it is high in iron, which is great for helping our red blood cells rejuvenate. Red blood cells are important for oxygenation as well as metabolism maintenance (if we don't get enough oxygen to our tissues our metabolism can slow down) as well as increased brain function (it sure needs a lot of oxygen to work at its best!), as well as high in other essential minerals like lysine (important for tissue growth and repair, and as a bonus there is some studies that show that lysine helps to stave off the virus that causes cold sores as well!), manganese (a natural antioxidant which helps detoxify the body of carcinogens, namely free radicals), Riboflavin (also known as vitamin B2, which helps regulate metabolism and blood pressure), and Magnesium (also good for helping with blood sugar control, which is how quinoa helps keep you full longer, and responsible for strong bones and teeth).

Quinoa Salad

1 c raw quinoa (cook according to package instructions)

3/4 cup red pepper, diced fine

1/4 c craisins, chopped (or use 1/3 c fresh cranberries, quartered)
1/2 of a medium red onion, diced fine

1/2 cup walnuts or cashews, chopped

3-4 stalks green onion, diced

1/3 cup red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2-3 sprigs of fresh dill, finely chopped
2 tbsp honey or agave nectar
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp cardamom (optional)
freshly ground pepper - to taste
1-2 tsp fresh grated ginger

1. In small bowl, mix together, vinegar, oil, honey, dill, cayenne, pepper and cardamom and let sit for flavours to infuse.
2. Cook quinoa according to package instructions, transfer to a large bowl and let cool. (You can always speed up this process by placing the bowl into another bowl filled with ice and stir the quinoa every few minutes).
3. While quinoa is cooling, chop peppers, onions, craisins, nuts and green onions.

4. When quinoa is cooled, add in vegetables and dressing. Mix well. 

5. It can be served right away, however I find the flavours meld much better when it has been refrigerated for a couple of hours. 

This is a great make ahead salad, and it only gets better as the dressing infuses into the salad! You can always make a but if extra dressing, so you can add more to the salad if needed before serving. Salad is good if refrigerate for about a week! 

Homemade Yogurt

Yogurt is one of those foods that is great in so many ways. It is great as a dessert, as a breakfast, as a snack or as part of a meal. My sister-in-law is Indian, as thus has introduced me to adding yogurt to so many meals! Its a great palate cleanser and can help temper spicy dishes or help go between courses. I also like to use it in "cream" sauces, making them thicker and lower in fat than using actual cream, and its a great way to add protein to smoothies and breakfasts! Another excellent thing about yogurt is its probiotic quality (probiotic by the way is Latin for "For Life" or "In the aid of Life", and scientifically the term is used to describe bacteria that are beneficial to the host - A.K.A. humans). Probiotics are great for digestion, and help to regulate the bowels, adding natural and essential bacteria into our systems (which can be depleted by alcohol use, illness, laxatives and antibiotics which are used to cure other conditions). Probiotics also help to stave off thrush and yeast infections, which are important things to note for anyone using inhalers for asthma as well as breastfeeding moms!

The best part about making yogourt is that its super easy, and also you can know that there are no preservatives or chemicals going into it. A lot of commercial yogurts have gelatin in them to make them the right texture, or other stabilizers to keep them thick (here is an extra special tidbit on keeping yogurt thick: pour the liquid off, but keep the liquid, because the liquid part of yogurt called whey and  is extra high in protein, calcium and potassium). I yogurt pour the liquid off and add it to smoothies, or use it as a substitute for milk in baking. But absolutely do not just dump it down the sink!! Its the healthiest part of yogourt and the richest in vitamins and minerals! the other option is to just mix it back into the yogurt!

And now onto the actual recipe! This one is very simple and consists only of two ingredients...

Ingredients:
Milk (2% or homo, lower fat doesn't work, commercially these all have gelatin and stabilizers to stay solid)

• (as much as you want to make in yogurt, I suggest starting with ~1-2 cups)

2-3 tbsp Yogurt (it needs to be preservative and stabilizer/gelatin free)

Directions:
1) In a large saucepan heat milk on medium heat, stirring frequently until milk comes to a boil and wants to overflow the pot. Turn oven on to 200F for ~10 mins, and then turn off.
2) Remove milk from heat and cool to 50C/120F (mixture must be at this temperature before adding yogurt or the probiotic bacteria will be denatured from the heat).
3) Once milk is cooled add in yogurt and stir to mix.
4) Cover saucepan with lid and place milk & yogurt mixture into over (should be off now), and leave in oven for several hours to overnight; until liquid layer forms on top of mixture. (I left mine for about 4 hours)
5) Refrigerate and enjoy! 

Chickpea Chocolate Trail Mix Cookies

I realize it has been AGES since I have posted. My biggest excuse is that nursing school has been absolutely crazy and I've been spending most of my time cooking and baking with tried and tested recipes as opposed to experimenting in the kitchen. I've tried a few new recipes, but not all of them have been super healthy, and not all of them have been great successes either. This week however I took the time to try out a few new recipes. One of them being something I've been meaning to do for a while; chickpea based cookies!! The ones I made this week ended up being a bit wetter than expected, so I did have to add a bit of bulk to it to try things out, but there are many options to help make wet cookies dryer! These cookies (after a few attempts) were even husband approved (and he hardly ever eat desserts, so I always call that a success!)

Here is my take on chickpea cookies!!

Ingredients:
2 cups cooked chickpeas (fresh or from a can is fine)
1/4 c unsweetened apple sauce
2 tsp vanilla
1 egg
1 cup trail mix (I used mixed nuts, craisins, raisins, chocolate chips, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds)
4 tsp unsweetened coconut flakes'
4 tsp flax seeds
1/3 cup honey (or 5-6 tsp stevia, which is equivalent to 1/2 c sugar)
2-3 tbsp cocoa powder
1/3 cup bran
1/3 cup oats or whole wheat flower

Directions:
1) Preheat over to 375F.
2) In food processor blend chickpeas, applesauce, egg and vanilla until pureed.
3) In a large bowl mix pureed blend with all dry ingredients, adding flour last as required (batter should be slightly wetter than normal cookie dough)
4) Roll batter into balls and flatten on a lightly greased, or non-stick cookie sheet
5) Bake for 13-16 minutes or until tops crisp and bottoms brown.