5 fast and easy things to do with quinoa


Quinoa has come to the rescue more times than I can count as the last minute answer to that nagging question, “what’s for dinner?”

That’s because quinoa is even more versatile than rice. And since it cooks up quicker and combines with most everything, it’s become my favorite go-to for those last-minute meal dilemmas.

Also, quinoa is quite amazing in the health department. It has all eight essential amino acids, is super-high in fiber, and contains good amounts of iron, phosphorous and magnesium.

And what you can do with it is far more than just serve up a bowl of grains (quinoa is technically a seed and also gluten-free). It’s what you put in your quinoa that turns it into something really special.

First, if you’re new to cooking quinoa, here’s how I do it. Sure, you can cook it on the stovetop, but a much easier way — one where you won’t have to worry about scorching a pot — is the rice cooker.

Just combine your quinoa and the amount of water stated on the package in your rice cooker and it should be ready in about 10 or 15 minutes. (If yours has timed settings for white or brown rice, try using the “steam” selection. I run “steam,” which lasts for 5 minutes on mine, three times to cook my quinoa.) Like rice, the quinoa is done when all the water is absorbed.

Here are 5 ideas to turn that cooked quinoa into a delicious meal:

  • Sesame salmon quinoa: Toss a serving of snap peas with a tablespoon or so of sesame oil, lime juice and black pepper. Top your cooked quinoa with a serving of fresh cooked or canned salmon and then add your snap pea/sesame mix over the top of the salmon.
  • Quinoa with red beans and walnuts: Drain a can of red kidney beans and toss with walnuts, a tablespoon or so of olive oil and spices. Toss the bean, nut mix into a steaming bowl of cooked quinoa.
  • Cranberry quinoa with kale: This combo works best with leftover cooked quinoa from the fridge. Toss a serving of fresh kale (either small bite-size pieces or the “baby” kind) with chopped fresh or dried cranberries, almond slivers and top with a honey-vinegar dressing (I use more honey to counter the tart cranberries). Add to your quinoa and toss well.
  • Quinoa artichoke salad: Another delicious way to use leftover cooked quinoa is to simply top and toss with artichokes (ready to use from a jar), and some olive oil and spices. This is also the perfect dish to further top with some canned albacore tuna.
  • Red quinoa and radishes: Red quinoa is pretty much the same as its beige-colored cousin; however I find it a little nuttier tasting. Plus, it’s really beautiful and is quite “fancy” looking.
    Cut several radishes into very thin slices and combine with cooked asparagus tips, lemon juice, spices, almond slivers and olive oil. Toss into cooked, steaming quinoa for a very elegant main or side dish.

Once you start experimenting with quinoa, you’ll probably discover some cool ideas for even more ways to use it. And it likely will become you’re new “go-to” dish for whipping up a quick meal, too!

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Craving a Hamburger or a Hot Dog? Pick the burger!


Did you know that eating processed red meat, like an all-beef hot dog, increases the risk of developing heart failure… and eating unprocessed red meat, like a hamburger, doesn’t?  Oh, you didn’t?  Well, neither did I, until I read a recent study published in Circulation: Heart Failure, an American Heart Association journal.  I was aware that the average “cured” hot dog could increase the risk of different cancers, especially cancer of the colon and bladder, I just didn’t know about the heart failure connection.

This new study followed 37,000 men over a 12 year period.  The researchers looked at the types and amount of meats consumed and the incidence of heart failure.

Just for clarity, heart failure is not the same thing as cardiac arrest.  With cardiac arrest, your heart stops beating.  With heart failure your heart is not able to pump blood effectively leading to many health problems.  There are any number of physical issues that can cause heart failure.  Heart failure certainly leads to disability and it can also lead to death, so avoiding the development of heart failure is definitely in your best interest!

OK, back to the study –  men who ate a daily average of 3 or more ounces of processed red meat  –  things like sausage, pepperoni, ham, salami, bacon, and hot dogs  –   were about 28% more likely to experience heart failure than men who ate the same amount of unprocessed red meat (including less than a daily average of 1 ounce of processed meat).  Why is that?  Well, it could be the extra sodium (salt) in the processed meat.  It could be the nitrites and other chemicals found in processed meat.  It could even be the quality of the meat used in the processed product.

So, what to do?  First, pay attention to the amount of processed meat you eat in a week.  If you are an adult and you eat an average of 2 hot dogs a week, you would fall into the low risk group.  If you like hot dogs and you love the taste of a beef frank, try Applegate’s Uncured Organic Beef Hot Dog .  It is an incredible hot dog!   Speaking of organic, have you tried organic grass-fed beef yet?  It’s good for you and also good for the environment.  Organic meats are becoming more and more available in our local markets.   If you can’t find organic look for natural grass-fed as the next best thing.

One last point  –  not to leave the women out  –  another study, just published, followed 44,000 women for 15 years and found that the women eating processed red meat developed high blood pressure , and, that this was not seen in association with eating unprocessed red meat and high blood pressure!

OK then!   If you enjoy processed meats, enjoy them  in moderation!  Once again, be aware and use good judgment!

Additional Resources:

What makes a healthy hot dog?

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Easy one-step natural meals

Between work deadlines and after school activities, it can be a challenge to prepare healthy meals for you and your family. Thankfully, there are new products on the market today that provide delicious and easy one-step natural meals.

Wild Oats Marketplace Boxed Meals
With Wild Oats, you can get healthy, ready-meals in mere minutes. The new Wild Oats Marketplace Boxed Meals offer delicious varieties like Cheesy Tuna Skillet Dinner and Lasagna Skillet Dinner that are ready in just one step—all you have to do is add the tuna or meat. Plus, they contain no artificial flavors or preservatives, which makes them a better choice for you and your family.

Modern Table Meals
Modern Table Meals are a new line of healthy and delicious meal kits. They understand that life can get a little crazy at times, and when it does, you shouldn’t have to compromise nutrition for convenience. Each shelf-stable kit contains everything you need to make a complete meal: bean-based pasta, sauce, vegetables, and seasonings. Because the pasta is made from beans, it’s jam packed with protein, fiber, and other nutrients. Ready in just 15 minutes or less, Modern Table Meals are the healthy solution for today’s modern (and busy!) families. www.moderntable.com

Lotus Foods
Lotus Foods brings you Rice Ramen, traditional Japanese-style noodles made from heirloom rice instead of wheat! In addition to being gluten free, these savory rice soups feature nutritious ancient grains and are a natural source of antioxidants. You can have a convenient bowl of flavorful and nourishing noodle soup in just 4 minutes. www.lotusfoods.com

Lunch Bundles
Lunch Bundles are delicious lunch kits that have all the components you would use if you were putting it together in your own kitchen. The meat has no nitrates, antibiotics or hormones and is raised humanely. The rest of the ingredients are simple, pure food that kids (and you) can pronounce. Best of all, they are delicious combinations that you’ll love eating and serving. Make sure to check out the Pizza Dipper! Yum! www.lunchbundles.com

Love Grown Foods
Fuel your morning with the new craze in natural—superfood cereals! Love Grown Foods® Super Oats Nuts and Seeds is not your traditional oatmeal. Made with grains oats, chia seeds, quinoa flakes, amaranth flakes, almonds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds and flaxseed, this hot cereal blends pack a SUPER nutritional punch and cook in 3 minutes. lovegrownfoods.com


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Birthdays, Travel and New Friends


Today is my birthday! It is the first birthday where age seems to be an issue- I am holding weight in my stomach area more, the creases between my eyebrows and around my lips are turning into wrinkles, and since I stopped dying my hair, I have found a few grays! Eek!

Luckily I have friends who want to celebrate my special day with me, and encourage me to forget about all these insignificant changes that are occurring to my body right now, and help me find value in the aging process. I am “maturing”… And that process can be really beautiful if you take care of yourself.

A few years ago I celebrated my birthday in Rome, Italy, while I was a student there completing my graduate thesis work. I was out with a small group of new foreign friends, at a bar in a hotel where a lot of Americans stay while on vacation.

We noticed an older American sitting alone at a table nearby and asked him to join us.

My friends announced to the man that it was my birthday, and it turns out, it was his birthday too! He was now 74.

He was staying in the hotel on a stop on a European tour. He told us that this was his first birthday that he is spending alone; his wife had passed away earlier in the year and they had been together for over 50 years.

As the night progressed, he told us stories about his wife, his life, his work. He made me feel not scared to be getting older. He has accomplished so many things, both personally and professionally, and had fanstastic life stories to share with us.

At the end of the evening, he had the waiter take a picture of our group celebration and asked me for my address.

When I returned to America a few weeks later, the picture of all of us had arrived in the mail. I had made a new friend.

This birthday I will be out celebrating at a farm to table restaurant, Blue Hill, with new friends I made in my new hometown, New York City. The intimate, convivial dinner should be delicious, and nourishing for both the body and soul. I wonder what will come next! I’m excited at all the possibilities, travel and new friendships to come my way.

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Eggs-actly What’s Up With Eggs?

I recently shared one of my favorite breakfasts, which shamelessly sported two fried eggs on top of bread, – with cheese and mayo. Ghosts of cholesterol Christmas past began to haunt me and felt that in all fairness I better do my homework to be sure I did not send anyone into cardiac arrest from over egg consumption, myself included.

I found a lot of information (and a really interesting discussion) about eggs and the egg industry. Some of it was helpful, some of it was so verbose and inflammatory it made me roll my eyes.

I am reminded frequently that you can find something to prove, or disprove anything you like on the internet. While that may be true, it does not mean that the information out there is useless. All medical, nutrition and other science is a work in progress. Long held notions are toppled and replaced by new ideas every day, and those are then set aside in light of more recent discoveries.

I am obviously very fond of eggs, so I have a bias. I am going to just cop to that and tell you that I think eggs are great. Yes they have cholesterol, but as it turns out, according to Nutrition Authority, “It has been proven, time and time again, that eggs and dietary cholesterol do NOT adversely affect cholesterol levels in the blood. In fact, eggs raise HDL (the good) cholesterol. They also change LDL cholesterol from small, dense LDL (which is bad) to large LDL, which is benign.”

Web MD gives them a big thumb up saying, “Egg protein serves as a standard protein source. In fact, it’s such a great source that it sets the standard to which other protein sources are compared.” I also called in the troops on this one, (meaning my brother who is an MD,) and he added that one thing that is often overlooked is that how you or I respond to a diet is based partly on personal physical and hereditary traits. So, while for one person eggs might be artery annihilation, for someone else they might be a non-factor. His advice was take a baby aspirin and call him in the morning. Actually it was “moderation.” Surprise!

Some more eggie enlightenment: One egg is the equivalent protein, of 1 oz. of red meat. (While I am not a vegetarian, I love that nothing has to die for that benefit.) Men’s Health says: “Calorie for calorie you need less protein from eggs than you do from other sources to achieve the same muscle building benefits,”

I have heard eggs called, “The perfect protein,” and in terms of completeness this certainly seems to be the case. I find the protein in egg keeps me full and satisfied much longer than other meals. I don’t have any emergency refueling stops at the frig after a breakfast that includes eggs, and I also love that there are infinite ways to fix them.

Authority Nutrition gives the run down on eggs as follows:

  • Vitamin A: 6% of the RDA.
  • Folate: 5% of the RDA.
  • Vitamin B5: 7% of the RDA.
  • Vitamin B12: 9% of the RDA.
  • Vitamin B2: 15% of the RDA.
  • Phosphorus: 9% of the RDA.
  • Selenium: 22% of the RDA.

In addition, eggs contain decent amounts of Vitamin D, E, K, B6, Calcium and Zinc.

You will note here that I am not even attempting to defend the butter and mayo in the other post. I did offer alternatives so hopefully now I will not be haunted by this. “God bless us every one.”

Post Script here: In case you were wondering, it does matter what kind of eggs you buy, and how the chickens that produce them are raised and fed. We now have eggs that are naturally nested and organically fed. What an animal is fed and how it is kept measurably affects the quality of its produce, but that is a post for another day.

Eggs – healthy or not? HP

Are eggs good for you? Livestrong

10 proven health benefits of eggs – Authority Nutrition

Why eggs are good for you – Authority Nutrition

http://www.eggs.ca/eggs101/view/22/egg-nutrition

Eggs – Hard to beat – Web MD

Nutrition facts for one egg

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