Cooking Vegan

Quinoa-Veggie Bowl~by Candice

 



Cooking Vegan is not as difficult as some may think, just stick to the basics. Pick out a few simple ingredients, mix and match and make them compliment each other and 'wha-la' a healthy, nutritous vegan meal in just minutes a day.

The dish above, is simply made with what I like to call the 'super-grain' quinoa (pronounced 'keen-wah'), that's actually a seed that's high in fiber and protein, and can be used similar to rice (see previous blog). You can find this seed-grain in most supermarkets in your organic-whole foods section. Be careful, if you find quinoa packaged in a box labeled with 'flavors". Do not follow the box instructions for cooking. Instead remove only the part of the packaging with the actual seeds and cook them solo. The 'flavors' labeled on the outside of the box is typically a seasoning packet (similar to what you may have seen with other boxed grains) and is usually loaded with sodium (salt) and other ingredients you probably cannot pronounce, which in turn can ruin your dieting goals, cause you to hold excess water, and raise your blood pressure.

Simply place the seeds in a pot of boiling water, similar to the above photo. Let boil for up to 12-15 minutes and add any variety of chopped veggies. I simply just added red onions, one of my (B.O.M.'s), which I will discuss in a later post. For an added hint of flavor, you can also add a high fiber, gluten free scoop of hummus.

Eating healthy doesn't have to be difficult, you just have to be a little creative! Bon appetit!