It's been nearly a year since Glenn and I started really working to change how we eat. Both of us have developed sensitivities to certain foods, so we're trying some alternatives and this has challenged me, especially in my baking. On the cooking side of things, a new find for me was quinoa (pronounced "keen-wa"). You're hearing a lot about this food, aren't you? Quinoa is a relative of green leafy vegetables; it is not a grain as most people think. It does provide about the same kind of nutrition as brown rice, but it has more protein (and none of the arsenic that rice is rumored to have). What's more, it is a complete protein, meaning that it has all nine essential amino acids, it's easy to digest, and is high in magnesium. Quinoa starts out as tiny hard little balls...
...add water (and 12-15 minutes of boiling time) and voila! You have a fluffy mound of grains just waiting for you to douse them with your creative cooking juices!
Quinoa is one of those foods that you can eat plain, but why? Try adding sweet peppers, onion, and diced Italian turkey sausage with a bit of oil and vinegar for dinner. Or how about pistachios, lemon zest, and shredded coconut with a little vanilla, then topped with vanilla Greek yogurt for dessert? You are limited only by what is in your pantry. And make it easy on yourself - buy it in bulk (it's cheaper that way), cook up a batch of quinoa on the weekend and keep it in a gallon baggie in your fridge to speed up weeknight dinner prep.
A few nights ago, I made a delicious warm quinoa salad that I found in Clean Eating magazine - it was super easy, just a few ingredients: dried cranberries or cherries, pecans, scallions, oil, vinegar, maple syrup. I added some diced chicken to boost the protein content. The nice thing is that you can swap the fruit and nuts for what you like - maybe apricots and almonds instead? Find this scrumptious salad recipe here.
I love what cooking does to simple ingredients like quinoa. A little heat, applied using the right technique and temperature, for the right amount of time, transforms them into something tasty! This reminds me of how God works in my life. He allows a challenge or difficult circumstance in my life (heat) to come my way and employs His perfect techniques and timing to turn me into something more palatable than I was before. The sad truth is that I often don't appreciate what His process does for me as much as I appreciate what the cooking process does for food. I don't always like the heat, but I'm not getting out of the kitchen!
I want a peace beyond my understanding
I want to feel it fall like rain
In the middle of my hurting
I want to feel Your arms as they surround me
And let me know that it's okay
To be here in this place
Resting in the peace that only comes
In the waiting.
-Vicki Yohe, "In the Waiting"
