Favorite Food: Quinoa

Quinoa is one of my all time favorite foods. When J and I became vegan, two of the first new foods we were exposed to were kale and quinoa, which together eventually became one of our go-to favorite dishes. Cook up some quinoa, then top with steamed kale and drizzle with soy sauce, sesame oil and sriracha hot sauce. To this day, this is one of the simplest, most inexpensive, delicious and nutritionally satisfying dishes we enjoy. And we enjoy it OFTEN. I've had the priveledge of introducing a lot of my friends and family to quinoa, but for some reason, the perfect cooking method is sometimes tricky to pin down. A long time lover of rice, polenta, risotto and other grains which take a long time and a bit of love to cook properly, I was thrilled when I discovered that cooking quinoa is about a simple as anything could possibly be. SO, if you want to spice up your dinners with this amazing and delicious grain which has much more fiber and protein than rice as well as a little very healthy fat and 10% of your daily iron, follow these simple steps:

Put 1 cup dry quinoa in a cold saucepan. Add 2 cups low sodium vegetable broth (or 2 cups water and abot 1 Tbsp. better than bullion paste). Cover the pan, bring to a boil and then reduce to medium low. Cook for about 25-30 minutes without disturbing the pan, then check on it by running a fork through the quinoa. It should be light and fluffy and not wet anymore. If not, cook a little longer. Some of the most common mistakes with quinoa include using too much water (a simply 1:2 ratio is best, unlike rice and some other grains) or stirring while cooking. Once you've made it a few times, you will feel more comfortable with the no-stirring thing. Trust me, this will make the lightest, fluffiest quinoa you've ever had. Enjoy!

Quinoa:

1/4 cup dry (which cooks up to 1 cup cooked) - 170 calories; 3 g fat (0 g sat); 0 mg cholesterol; 5 mg sodium; 30 g carb; 3 g fiber; 1 g sugar; 5 g protein; 10% iron.

Rice:

1/4 cup dry (which cooks up to 1 cup cooked) - 150 calories; 0.5 g fat (0sat); 0 mg cholesterol; 0 mg sodium; 33 g carb; 0.5 g fiber; 0 g sugar; 3 g protein; 2% iron.

Favorite Food: Crispy Kale Chips

As you know, kale is one of my favorite foods. It's one of those incredible and rare situations where something that is amazingly good for you is also amazingly delicious. And it doesn't get enough attention. I bet if I sampled 20 people I know, at least half of them would have never prepared kale at home - maybe even more than half. One of my resolutions this year is to change that (I'm only half kidding)! Maybe your new year's resolution should be to eat kale once a week. I promise I'll be featuring it on this blog more often, so I'll give you plenty of ideas for how to prepare it. In fact, I just realized that my post yesterday had kale in it too! If you didn't read it, check out these delicious Potato and Kale Enchiladas.

Now kale is great in many things, soups being primary among them, but my absolute favorite way to eat it is virtually alone. You can steam it, braise it, saute it or bake it. This preparation is a lot of fun and is super easy. Give this a try the next time you are craving potato chips. Seriously. Bust out a half recipe of these and eat them when they are still hot right off the baking tray. You will forget all about those Ruffles and you will have done your body a big favor.

The recipe could not be more simple:

1 medium bunch of kale

1 Tbsp. olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to about 350 degrees. Wash the kale leaves and remove the tough stems. Pat the leaves dry and cut into large bite size pieces. Toss kale with 1 Tbsp. olive oil and mix well with your hands to distribute the oil evenly. Spread the kale leaves on a large baking tray and put it in the oven. Cook for 10 minutes, then toss with a large spatula or kitchen tongs. Cook for an additional 5 minutes or until kale is crispy and just barely turning brown. Season with salt and pepper and eat! These chips are a great side for just about any dish. This picture shows them with Smothered Cauliflower and Potatoes, but the options are limitless. To be honest, these guys almost never even make it to the table in our house - we just stand over the stove and eat them. These also taste good cold, so if you don't eat them immediately, you can save them for a little later. I don't recommend saving them until the next day though because they will lose their crunch.

The nutrition facts for this baby will blow your mind. 1 serving = half of the recipe. 159 calories; 8.2 g fat; 1.1 g saturated fat; 0 mg cholesterol; sodium varies depending on how much salt you use; 20.1 g carbohydrate; 4 g dietary fiber; 0 g sugars; 6.6 g protein. Did you get that? 6.6 g of protein in a little vegetable snack! That is MORE protein that is found in a hard boiled egg (but without the 211 mg of cholesterol mind you)! And the vitamins in a serving of this stuff? 618% of your daily recommended Vitamin A; 402% of your recommended Vitamin C; 27% of your recommended Calcium and 19% of your recommended iron. Not bad!