Quinoa [KEEN-wah] & the DMV

Quinoa [KEEN-wah] & the DMV

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BW8jxrYWBCc&feature=channel_page

Most of you know what DMV means. But, unless you saw my video before reading this, you are probably stumped on the word Quinoa even though I gave the phonetic spelling above. No worries, you’re not alone. Most of the people at the Santa Monica DMV didn’t know what it meant either but by lunch time on August 31st, 2007, many of them had an idea and a few of them even got to taste it.

While waiting in line to make my car official in my new home of California, I overheard a nutrition related conversation between two employees and I joined in. Before I knew it we were all engaged in a health & fitness discussion and they were posing as many questions as they could possibly think of while I filled out forms and paid my registration fees. I couldn’t complete the registration process because I didn’t have all of the pertinent car lender information. Therefore, to quote our Governor, I told them, “I’ll be back.”

From there I moved on to get my Driver’s License Photo taken and then to take the test. Very stressful I might add. I lost sleep worrying I would not pass but in the end I only got two wrong. You can get six wrong and still pass. As I was standing in line for the photo, I saw one of the formerly mentioned employees coming into the photo section, sent by his co-worker to get some more info from me. I had educated them about Quinoa but they also wanted to know about Oatmeal since it is the more commonly consumed Whole Grain. But for you guys, for now, Quinoa will be the discussion at hand. I educated them about oatmeal, took my test and then headed back home to get my car lender info. So while I was home I picked up some recently cooked Quinoa for my new friends to try. I have not since gone back to the DMV to see if they made the switch from oatmeal to quinoa. One can only hope.

By now you’re like, OK, Elizabeth, just tell us about Quinoa would you? And I certainly will…Quinoa is a grain. It is a WHOLE grain. People are becoming more aware of the importance of eating more ‘whole grains’ as advised by the dietary guidelines and as emphasized by the new “My Pyramid”; an educational tool created by the USDA to advise the public on how many servings they are recommended to eat from each of the food groups.

With the fading fate of the Atkins diet which is not very disease prevention friendly, the public is again rethinking its carb choices. “Can we eat carbs afterall?”, they ask. “If so, which ones, what are the best choices and how often?” The whole realm of “carbohydrates” can be overwhelming even to the diet educated a.k.a. Registered Dietitians. We (Dietitians) have been educated from the onset about where carbohydrates come from, as in which food groups, and frankly, they are everywhere. You really can not avoid them if you want to eat foods which promote health, prevent disease and give you the energy to live long and thrive. The key is to make the best choices from those foods which do contain carbohydrates so that you can get the best energy sources available.

Enter, Quinoa, the best choice from the “Whole Grain” group. That food group found at the far left of the new “My Pyramid” but which use to live at the base of the formerly known ‘Food Guide Pyramid’. Yes, grains can make up the base of your diet from an energy stand point but from the viewpoint of volume, vegetables prevail. That means that grains can make up the “bulk” of your calories while vegetables will simply make up the “bulk”. Vegetables should be consumed in the greatest proportions because they fill you up but are very low in calories and yet very high in antioxidant, disease fighting nutrients. Most of your carbohydrates, however, can come from grains. Grains are energy yielding, B-vitamin wielding, and rich in minerals and disease fighting antioxidants along with a cluster of cholesterol lowering, cancer preventing, blood sugar controlling, bowel friendly fiber. Most WHOLE grains are rich in minerals such as Zinc, Manganese, Magnesium and Copper, all minerals which are essential for the body’s own natural antioxidant defense system.

Whole grains also contain Iron although it is called a non-heme iron, so named because it is not attached to the heme component of a red blood cell. The iron found in animal protein is called heme iron because it is attached to the heme component of the red blood cell. Since being attached to that heme in the red blood cell is the ultimate goal of iron in the body, those foods which contain heme iron, contain a form of iron that is more easily absorbed. However, if you’re like me, perhaps you too don’t appreciate things that are so obvious, so easy. I personally like challenges in life because that is how we become stronger, by overcoming adversity, even in the world of nutrition.

For example, that non-heme iron found in whole grains, beans, legumes & leafy green vegetables, can be absorbed very well if there is also a big strong Vitamin C around. You see, C helps to ensure that that non-heme iron reaches its final destination; one of those destinations being the home of the heme in the red blood cell. C protects the Iron from free radicals so that the iron will be absorbed in the best shape possible. Vitamin C is like the body guard for Iron. Once in the red blood cell, iron will work with the Heme to help ensure that oxygen is properly transported to working muscles and, well, basically to every cell in the body. ALL of the cells of the body need oxygen to live. So by ensuring proper absorption of your dietary iron sources, you are helping to ensure that your cells can breathe again…and again and again.

This is what I love most about the body, the complexities and yet the simplicity of it all. Of course, everything works better when we work together. We are all stronger when we team up. No man is an island, no mineral…a rock…although minerals can be found in rocks…None-the-less, I believe that the non-heme iron is a ‘stronger’ iron because it takes the road less traveled. Therefore, I encourage the consumption of foods that are rich in non-heme iron. I promote the intake of lots of veggies and whole grains, beans and legumes too. There may a little more work involved in the process, but I promise you a stronger YOU in the end.

So now you know, or hopefully have figured out, that Quinoa is a source of non-heme iron. It is also the only WHOLE grain that is a complete protein. ‘Complete’ because it contains all of the essential amino acids in proportions that promote the production of immune cells, the synthesis of enzymes, the building & rebuilding of muscle cells and basically the growth, repair and maintenance of body tissue wherever needed. All of these functions require all nine essential amino acids in the perfect proportion to promote growth and repair. And, in case you’re dying to know those amino acids personally, here they are, in no specific order: Histidine, Isoleucine, Leucine, Lysine, Methionine, Phenylalanine, Threonine, Tryptophan, Valine & sometimes Arginine.

That is a lot of information and perhaps ‘nice-to-know’ but really not necessary. So don’t try to memorize them. I did when I was in college but these days even I have to look them up. In college I learned a ‘sentence’ that helped me remember the Amino Acids’ names. But right now, I can’t even remember the ‘sentence’. The only reason I even mention all this extraneous information is to emphasize that Quinoa does contain those essential amino acids whereas, all of the other Whole Grains contain insufficient quantities of Leucine and Lysine. Without ALL of the essential amino acids, it is nearly impossible for ‘protein’ to fulfill ALL of its bodily obligations.

The point of this whole story is this “Eat more WHOLE Grains”. Try Quinoa, please. You will love it as much as I do, I promise. If my nutritional tale has not swayed you, then perhaps the attached recipe will help. In case you would like to taste Quinoa before committing to trying to make it on your own, look for it in ‘prepared’ form at ‘health oriented’ grocery stores like Whole Foods. Although none of them make it like I do in my breakfast cereal, they do have some wonderfully tasty Quinoa dishes for you to wet your Quinoa loving whistle. OK, I am so optimistic. But please, buy some and try it. You’ll like it!

Look for ‘dry’ Quinoa in the ‘Health Food’ section of most grocery chains in a blue bag under the brand name Arrowhead Mills. They supply many types of organic whole grains, beans and seeds. Also, food co-ops and ‘health food’ type stores will carry Quinoa in bulk food bins. Trader Joe’s also carries boxed Quinoa. You may also find Quinoa in almost any grocery store in one of those ‘prepackaged’ grain mixes under the brand name ‘Near East’. This is how I discovered it years ago. At the time I was teaching weight management & Diabetes education classes and conducting grocery store tours. I thought this unusual grain was so cool with its little tail and all. I would tell my students and clients about this grain I discovered called “KWIN-O-Ah”. Yes, I mispronounced it from the start which is why I made sure to give you the phonetic spelling. I want to spare you the embarrassment I went through. Boy was my face red once I learned the correct pronunciation. Not really. Who cares if you mispronounce it?

I once had a boyfriend who was always correcting me when I misused a new word or misspelled something. Even if I text him these days, four years after we’ve broken up, he will still correct my text spelling. “Get real”, I thought. That’s his issue not mine. Frankly, you pronounce Quinoa any way you like. You eat it, any way you please. Just please try it and try to enjoy it. That’s all I ask.

Below is the recipe for Quinoa [KEEN-Wah] or [KWIN-O-A] from my You Tube video.

Basic Quinoa
1 cup Quinoa
2-3 cups water or brewed tea

Soak quinoa for 10 minutes, if possible, in enough water to cover completely OR at least rinse in a fine sieve for at least one minute, to remove the saponins; a natural protective costing developed by the plant to protect it from being ‘over-consumed’ by animals, thereby preserving its longevity. These ‘saponins’ have similar health benefits for humans in that they can aid our ‘longevity’ but they also give a slightly bitter taste and they may inhibit the absorption of some nutrients. If you don’t have a sieve then rinse in a small sauce pan. Tilt the pan with the lid ajar enough to allow the water to run out while keeping the grain from running down the drain.

Poor fresh liquid into the sauce pan. Note: 3 cups liquid per 1 cup dry Quinoa, cover and boil for about 15 minutes. (Most grains require 2 cups liquid per 1 cup dry grain but I find the consistency of Quinoa to be more porridge like if you use 3 cups liquid to 1 cup dry grain.)
When cooked, quinoa is somewhat translucent with a clear ring around each seed which kind of looks like a tail, but is actually the germ of the grain. The Germ will release from the grain but still remain attached at the end. This is how you know it is done.

Remove the pan from the heat, remove the lid and allow to steam for about 5 minutes.
Fluff with a fork.

To eat as cereal, mix ½ cup cooked Quinoa with 1 cup chopped seasonal fresh fruit such as a chopped apple, nectarine or berries + 1 Tbsp raisins or other dried fruit + 1 Tbsp chopped raw walnuts or almonds, 1 cup organic milk (low fat dairy, Soy, Almond or Hemp milk) Plus a dash of cinnamon ~ ¼ tsp

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size ~2 cups (458g)
Servings Per Container 1
Amount per Serving
Calories 320 Calories from Fat 90
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 10g 15%
Saturated Fat 1g 5%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 90mg 4%
Total Carbohydrates 48 g 12%
Dietary Fiber 7g 17%
Sugars 18g
Protein 13g
Vitamin A 2% · Vitamin C 6%
Calcium 31% · Iron 27%
Thiamin-B1 30% · Riboflavin-B2 37%
Niacin-B3 20% · Vitamin-B6 11 %
Vitamin-B 19% · Folate 10%
Vitamin-D 111% · Vitamin-E 9%
Copper 32% · .
Magnesium 31% · Manganese 78%
Phosphorus 29% · Potassium 22%
Selenium 9% · Zinc 13%

What does Vitamin C do for me?

9/27/07 6AM
I know my blogs are too long to actually be “blogs” they are really excerpts from my book. This one follows an excerpt I wrote about a dream. The following is NOT a dream though...

On Friday September 7th I met Vitamin C. Yes, he actually plays Vitamin C in a vitamin commercial. How ironic, right? A dietitian and a vitamin, and not just any vitamin but probably the best and most researched off all the vitamins. He is, I mean, Vitamin C is, the most powerful antioxidant around. I love Vitamin C. It is literally my favorite vitamin, although I do hate to play favorites because all of the vitamins and minerals are essential to life. That is literally how they even get classified as vitamins and minerals. They are vital to life and without them you will die, eventually. Like without C you will develop scurvy which is basically a disease caused by a deficiency of vitamin C and characterized by spongy and bleeding gums, bleeding under the skin, and extreme weakness.

The term scurvy was coined over 250 years ago by British seamen. When these men set out on long sea voyages, they knew they had less than a 50% chance of coming back alive. Over half of the ship’s crew would die of the disease they called scurvy. They named the disease without knowing what caused it and as far as I can tell, they developed the name from the old English word “scurf” meaning “the scales or small shreds of epidermis that are continually exfoliated from the skin”. Scurf turned into scurf-y and then scurvy. From this disease came the first documented nutrition experiment by a British physician named James Lind. If I knew Dr. Lind I probably would have dated him. I love smart, think-out-of-the-box type men.

Anywho, he divided 12 sailors with scurvy into six pairs and gave each of them a different “supplement”: cider, vinegar, sulfuric acid, seawater, purgative (a laxative) mixed with spices, or oranges and lemons. So, you know how when you eat a lemon your mouth puckers, well, just imagine your reaction to plain old vinegar or seawater or sulfuric acid or purgative, that one will surely make you sick. When I think of sulfuric acid I think of that rotten egg smell. The thought of drinking that “smell” makes me gag. I can’t even imagine. If I were a sailor on that ship I hope I would have been in the orange and lemon group. I can tolerate some puckering over gagging.

Oh, and seawater, not so good either. Apparently there was a time in history when the seawater matched the solution concentration of the body. At least that is the belief of some evolutionists and it makes sense to me. Over time the sea has become so high in “salts”, that if we drink seawater it can cause severe dehydration as the body tries to deal with all that “salt”. The salt in seawater is not just sodium chloride as we find in table salt. Seawater also contains potassium chloride and magnesium chloride. All of these elements are also found in human tissue. They are known as electrolytes. They are responsible for the ebb and flow of nutrients that go in and out of cells.

The water in your body, which can be 60-70% of your body composition, is the equalizer for all things. Water helps to keep an even distribution of these electrolytes inside and outside of each cell so that nutrients “flow”. When you drink seawater with it’s concentration of “salts” at three times the level of your body, that “equalizing” water rushes to intestinal tract to greet those “salts”, to “neutralize” them so they can travel safely through the body. The water then “escorts” the extra “salts” out of the body. But first, the water has to equalize the salts, which means that the water leaves the inside and the outside of those once balanced cells. Now the cells become unbalanced, essentially, dehydrated.

The water escorts the “salts” to the kidneys where the excess salts will be excreted. Now the poor kidneys are working overtime. Since the kidneys are also responsible for recycling water back into the body and since the cells are like, screaming for a “drink”, the kidneys are so doing double duty by trying to get rid of extra “salts” and rehydrating the body. What can happen in the long run is death, from dehydration and kidney failure. Suffice it to say, given a choice between the smelly sulfuric acid and the potential kidney failure causing, death inducing seawater, I’d drink the smelly stuff.

Besides, you need sulfur, although sulfur deficiencies are not likely. What is likely is a deficiency in sulfur containing amino acids. For those who follow a strict vegan diet, it is possible to have an imbalance of amino acids, some of which are the sulfur containing ones, Methionine and Cysteine, which are lacking in beans and legumes. But grains are great source of these sulfur containing amino acids which is why beans and grains go great together. A deficiency in “sulfur” containing amino acids is quite rare in the US but it may be possible if someone follows a very strict and unbalanced vegan diet. Skin, hair and nails contain more of these sulfur type amino acids than other body parts which does not mean you have to eat more sulfur amino acids in order to have great skin, hair and nails, it means that you should eat a diet balanced in adequate protein sources, which is a diet of either grains and beans throughout the day or free-range animal proteins. Then your sulfur amino acid needs will be met and your skin, hair and nails can grow freely.

Oh, but getting back to the scurvy discussion, in summary, the men who ate the oranges and lemons recovered from their bout with scurvy. The other unlucky 10 who drank smelly, salty, laxative effect inducing solutions, well, they probably died. That part of the story was left out. None-the-less it wasn’t until 50 years later that the British navy required all ships to provide their sailors with a daily dose of lime juice. Not sure why it wasn’t lemon or orange juice? But the lime juice 'supplement' gave the British sailors their nickname “limeys”. The antiscurvy “something” in limes and other similar fruits, was dubbed the antiscorbutic (pertaining to, of the nature of, or affected with scurvy) factor. It took 200 years before the “factor” was isolated from lemon juice and found to be a six-carbon compound similar to glucose.

Nowadays the synthetic form of Vitamin C is readily available and widely used. Vitamin C is known for its powerful antioxidant capabilities. An antioxidant is any substance that prevents or inhibits the oxidation of another substance. In doing so, the antioxidant becomes oxidized itself. It protects the body by sacrificing itself. It is literally the bodyguard for the watery parts of the body.

In the vitamin television commercial, Mr. Vitamin C does a skit with Vitamin E (another powerful antioxidant). Vitamin C says that he helps to recharge Vitamin E. Vitamin C does this by being ready to be used in some of the body’s own natural antioxidant defense system pathways which in turn recharge Vitamin E. But Vitamin C’s biggest role is protecting the watery 'mote' outside the cell walls, by standing force, ready to take on substances which may try to enter the cell to wreak havoc on the cell itself or harm E which hangs out in the lipid layer of the cell wall. So in essence, Vitamin C protects E by being ready to sacrifice itself first. Vitamin C did help to recharge me by being a good friend, but he's not the man for me. I'll keep searching.

In honor of the British Sailors who sacrificed their lives unknowingly to scurvy; if only they had eaten an orange or two.

Here is a dish laden with Vitamin C.

A surefire, tastey way to prevent Scurv-y.

Spicy Lime-y Slaw

SLAW
1/2 medium green cabbage, cored and finely shredded
1/4 medium red cabbage, cored and finely shredded
2 carrots, grated

DRESSING
2 limes, zested and juiced
2 small cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon minced jalapeno pepper (seeds removed)
3 tablespoons filtered water
6 tablespoons Vegannaise
2 small dates, pitted and finely chopped
1 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
3 tablespoons chopped almonds

1. Toss the cabbage and carrots in a large bowl.

2. Combine lime juice, 1 1/2 teaspoons lime zest, garlic, japaleno, water, Vegannaise, dates and salt in a blender and process until smooth. The taste should be a little tart from the limes, a little spicy from the jalapeno, and a little sweet from the dates.

3. Pour the dressing over the vegetables and toss well. Dish up and sprinkle with cilantro and almonds.

What should I eat on date night...when I am not dating...

How I spend my Saturday evenings….

Yes, this is a weekend evening not unlike most where I either; write, do wash, read or create recipes. Today I was in the mood for sushi but since I am not dating I decided to make it myself. I think of Sushi as date food. Especially since I have been on 6 first dates since moving to Santa Monica and each date has taken me to the same sushi restaurant in Venice. I was even at that same sushi place when I flew here from Northern Cali to go on an internet date with a guy from Brentwood. He didn’t even live close to this sushi restaurant but even he took me there two years ago. I have not had any luck with my first dates at the sushi place so I figure that maybe sushi is something I need to enjoy by myself right now.

A few months back I bought a sushi rolling mat and had yet to unveil it, so, tonight was its grand premier and it worked beautifully. My vegan sushi was and is yummy! I have plenty left for the next few days. Unlike regular sushi made with raw fish, my vegan sushi is safe for consumption for days on end. Well, maybe not more than 4 days tops.

So, I have been reading this book entitled, “The Handbook of Nutraceuticals and Functional Foods” I have been reading it as one would read a fictional book although this one is definitely non-fiction but I have been reading it page by page from the beginning. I came upon a section about all of the classes of antioxidants from plant and animal sources. Although I often forget that there are animal sources of antioxidants because most of the antioxidant nutrients that I read and teach about are plant based. But there are animal sources and now that I am writing about and acknowledging them I realize that, “of course there are animal sources”. In fact, even we humans make some of our own antioxidnats. One is called “superoxide dismutase” or SOD and its part of your body’s own natural defense system against invading free radicals. Plants make ‘antioxidants’ to protect themselves from environmental insults, insects, bad weather & oxygen free radicals, why shouldn’t man also be able to develop some protective elements too?

After reading about the antioxidants in fish, which we know as Omega-3 fatty acids, I realized that because of a strain in finances, and because of the limited “shelf life” of fresh fish, that I am not getting my ample supply of Omega-3’s. Although I do buy Omega-3 rich eggs and eat one of those about 4-5 days per week. They do contain at least the DHA Omega-3s. I also consume ground flax seeds every day but flax seed contains only the ALA Omega-3’s, which is the precursor to the DHA and EPA found in fish. We can not convert the ALA to DHA and EPA but the fish can and so can the chicken fed a flax seed diet. That is why eggs are a viable source of Omega-3’s. So, unless I eat fish at least 3 days per week or take fish oil supplements, chances are I am not meeting my recommended amounts of the DHA & EPA Omega-3’s. However, in Dr. Wildman’s book, I did read about how the fish get much of their Omega-3’s from their sea vegetable diet. I also eat sea vegetables but have been a little lax lately and that brings me to the recipe du jour which is actually not French (du jour is French for “of the day”), but this recipe is Japanese and is one of my most favorite foods…Sushi…"Domo Arigato” to my Japanese friends for introducing Sushi to the world…Roll it up & enjoy.

BTW: you should only say “Domo Arigato” to a friend. If you are thanking someone you do not know well, I have just learned that the appropriate phrase is simply “Domo”, spoken slowly to show true gratitude. Interesting…K, now let’s cook & roll…

Oh, and I also had a sweet tooth so I threw together a vegan chocolate mousse

Here is that one first

Vegan Chocolate Mousse
1 (12oz) package Mori-Nu Firm Silken Tofu
2 Tbsp honey or maple syrup
(I just bought a $20 jar of local honey at the farmer’s market so I used honey)
3 heaping Tablespoons of Organic, Non-Dutched (non-alkalized) Cocoa powder (the same stuff I use in my daily Chocolate Mint Recovery Shake, more ways to get those Catechins and the taste of chocolate, that is so win-win)

I threw it all in a medium size metal mixing bowl and blended it with a hand held immersion blender

If you don’t have one of those, a regular blender, food processor, or hand held mixer will do just fine. If you’re really motivated, I believe a good fork and some strong arms could make magic as well. Well, maybe just make chocolate mousse but if you enjoy it the way I do, it will taste and feel like magic!

Dish into 4 ounce soufflé cups or something of similar size

Makes three 4 oz servings. I know, it’s not an even number. What’s that all about? But you do the math. Start with a twelve ounce package, divided into 4 ounces and you get 3 servings.

Perhaps you could dole out 3oz portions and then you would get four servings. Now that works out. You see, it’s really just about the math.

And now…the Sushi

Vegan Sushi
1 cup brown rice, cooked in 2 cups filtered water or brewed green, red or black tea
6-10 sheets dried Nori
1 Tbsp Brown Rice Vinegar
¼ cup Tamari
1 Tbsp Sesame or whatever oil you have on hand
Shiitake Mushrooms, if dehydrated, start by soaking them first in warm water
Sesame seeds or Gomasio (a combination of sesame seeds, sea salt & sea vegetable flakes such as Dulse)
¼ cup Dulse Flakes
¼ cup Nutritional Yeast flakes
¼ cup pickled ginger, finely diced (see recipe below)

Prepare the pickled Ginger first so it can marinade or “pickle” while you prepare the other ingredients

1. Cook rice uncovered in boiling water or brewed tea for five minutes. Then cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 40-45 minutes. If liquid remains, turn of the heat, stir the rice with a fork. Remove from heat and allow to steam on a separate burner. Leave uncovered until all the liquid has been absorbed.

2. Prepare your fillings and condiments while rice is cooking. Finely dice the Shiitakes. Heat the oil in a small sauce pan, add the Shiitakes & simmer in 1 Tbsp of tamari, add water if needed. You should have just enough liquid to ‘heat’ the mushrooms. Remove from heat after about 5 minutes. Set aside while you finish preparing the rice.

3. After the rice is cooked, add it to a 9 X 13 glass baking dish or similar size pan so that you can spread it out to cool and add the other ingredients. Add the brown rice vinegar, the rest of the tamari, the sesame seeds or Gomasio, the dulse flakes, nutritional yeast flakes & the Shiitakes.

4. Remove the ginger from the marinade and finely dice. Add the diced ginger and the “pickling” juice to the rice mixture. Mix it all up and get ready to “Roll”.

5. Place your nori sheet on a bamboo mat and spread the rice about 1/4inch thick over the whole sheet, leaving two inches at the top (the end away from you) for sealing off the roll.

6. Grasping the side of the mat that is closest to you, roll -it- up and away from you toward the top, pressing the log tightly together as you move it forward towards the end. Do not “roll” the mat within the sushi roll but use the mat to press the sushi as you roll it. The mat also helps to “seal” the deal. When the sushi is all rolled up, wrap the mat around it and grasp firmly to press it together. Moisten the end with rice vinegar to help it seal if needed. I find that if you use the mat right you don’t need anything else to seal it.

7. Place the sushi roll on a cutting board. With a very sharp knife, slice the nori roll in thin segments, about 1 inch thick or bias-cut in larger sections. Arrange and serve.

Note: you can add some wasabi powder to the mixture or put wasabi and extra tamari on the side for dipping.

Pickled Ginger
2 to 3 inches fresh ginger
1 tablespoon honey
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
4 tablespoons brown rice vinegar
1. Peel the ginger and slice it into paper thin slices.
2. Bring a pan of water to a boil, turn off the heat and soak the ginger slices in the water for a few seconds.
3. Pickling Mixture: Mix together the honey, salt and rice vinegar. Stir until the honey has dissolved.
4. Drain the ginger from the hot water and place the slices of hot ginger in the pickling mixture and let sit for about 30 minutes in the frig while you prepare the other sushi ingredients.

Chocolate Mint Recovery Shake (see it on YouTube under TheKitchenVixen)

July 25, 2007

On Monday, July 23rd, I posted my first video to the web. If I am ever going to have the cooking show of my dreams, I have to fully put it out there, right? So far, only 15 people have viewed it. I haven’t told my friends about it yet because I want to see what happens when you just “put it out there”.

In this video I am making my most favorite dietary staple which I call my “Chocolate Mint Recover Shake”. So named because it is made with chocolate mint leaves and it is what I drink to recover from my workouts. Well, if you see the video this will all be apparent.

I created this recipe as I do with most, out of necessity to nourish my body the best way possible using what is given to me at that time. In this instance, while living and working in Vegas, I was given a bunch of chocolate mint leaves from a fellow dietitian who had lovingly grown them in her very own herb garden. She had more than she could use so she brought them to work along with some regular mint and some other herbs. I always get to work latter than my fellow coworkers because I like to take the mornings to exercise and/or write. Today is a day like that but I chose to write and give my body a rest. Yesterday as I walked the length of beach in Santa Monica, my heavy legs predicted this would happen. My legs where fatigued and I knew that today my body would say, “No, way.” So I’ve spent the morning resting and writing. Alas, soon I will have to go to work.

On the day the chocolate mint leaves came into my life, I believe it was fate. I got to work long after everyone else. All the other herbs where gone but the chocolate mint leaves just lay there waiting for a home, waiting for me. I had never heard of them let alone tasted them. I picked them up and smelled them first. Mmmm, so minty with just a hint of chocolate, or perhaps that was subliminal because I knew they where “chocolate” mint. None-the-less, they did have a powerful minty smell. I could not wait to get home and ‘apply’ them in some way. Yes, when I think of food, and ingredients and such, I think in scientific terms. I don’t merely create recipes, I formulate by “applying” the ingredients for their nutritional attributes. I was curious to see what mint had to offer besides the wonderful tastes and smells.

All that information lay await at home so all I could do all day was to think about what other ingredients I already had to combine with my new found chocolate mint friend. Well, at the time I was on this polenta kick. I still kind of am. Over a year later and I still get a hankering for polenta. I am no where near being a Mexican and I grew up on the East Coast where there was not a strong Mexican population but for some reason I find the greatest comfort in their food. In fact, before I left Las Vegas, the staff at my job made me tamales for my going away party. I was in heaven. But, getting back to my leaves...I had polenta and wanted to use it with the chocolate mint leaves. I also had some dark chocolate and maple syrup so I do recall creating a baked polenta dish with those ingredients. I did not save a recipe but this weekend I created another polenta dish so I will insert that one at some point and then also show how some ingredients could be substituted to recreate my chocolate mint polenta. Suffice it to say, this dish was like a chocolate mint bread pudding. I let it solidify, as polenta often dose, so it could be eaten with a spoon or a fork.

I have been following a primarily vegetarian diet for the past two years while off and on consuming some fish and very rarely, some chicken. I prefer vegetables, grains, and beans to most other foods so I decided to create a shake that would help me stay within my preferred food groups while giving me the protein I need for optimal recovery after exercise. The shake I make with soy milk, a bean source, the mint leaves are green, a vegetable, and the chocolate, well, it is my drug of choice. At first I was using real dark chocolate but decided to switch to cocoa because it contains a higher concentration of antioxidants known as epicatechins; a class of antioxidants like those found in tea, red wine, grapes, and apples.

These Catechins are powerful disease fighters that help to squelch free radicals. Free radicals are primarily unstable oxygen molecules which we breathe in everyday. They are unstable because they are missing an electron. We are exposed to more and more of these unstable oxygen molecules everyday because of environmental pollutants such as car exhaust, chemicals, stress, pesticides, etc. These free radical oxygen molecules don’t really want to be ‘radical’, they want to be stable but the only way they know to become stable is to 'steal' an electron from a cell. Once that cell has lost an electron, it too may become unstable and one of these cells might be a potential cancer cell, or an LDL cholesterol (the less desirable kind). These cancer and cholesterol cells then lead to disease. So, you can see what a nightmare this could all be if we don’t try to stop free radicals in their tracks. Enter, the Antioxidants, a large group of cell defenders numbering in the hundreds. This strong force can step in the way of any free radical, risk its life by donating an electron and still be none the worse the for wear. In other words, Antioxidants take a licking and keep on ticking. They are the Bomb!

Every plant food contains an Antioxidant or two so the more we eat the more the antioxidant foes will retreat. Knowing this means that when I am given a locally grown plant, grown by someone I know, I am going to use every bit of it as much and as often as I can. FYI: mint leaves are rich in a class of antioxidants called Monoterpenes which actually act like bug repellents for the plants while they are growing but in us, these repellents may help us repel certain types of cancers. Kind of cool, I think, cool and minty, Ahhhh. Oh, and the mint is also rich in something called rosmarinic acid which helps to stimulate anti-inflammatory pathways in the body. Most chronic diseases are derived from chronic inflammation.

Inflammation is a defense system for the body to protect it so it can heal after an injury, but if our bodies are always in defense mode, well, that is stressful and can lead to chronic disease. We need to also elicit the anti-inflammatory processes to give our bodies the rest they need. I liken it to the air bag in your car. When it deploys after an accident you can’t drive your car until it has been put back in its place. Same with chronic inflammation, eventually, you won’t be able to ‘drive’ your body. Eat those anti-inflammatories now for better driving tomorrow. After exercise your body becomes inflamed to help the muscles heal from the beating they just underwent. Again, we don’t want the inflammation to last forever so ‘natural’ anti-inflammatories post-exercise will ensure that you can take a licking and keep on ticking tomorrow and the next day and so on.

So without further delay, I present my Chocolate Mint Recovery Shake Recipe below.

Chocolate Mint Recovery Shake

1 cup soy milk or milk of your choice (preferably organic)
6-8 ice cubes (3/4 oz of fluid per cube = 4.5 – 6 oz for 6-8 cubes)
1 Tbsp unsweetened Organic cocoa powder (rich in Catechins; powerful cancer fighters like in tea)
6 stems fresh mint leaves (about 5 leaves per bunch = 30 leaves total) Chocolate mint leaves are best
½ cup protein powder such as Whey (a ‘scoop’ or serving per container should give you 20-25g protein)
For a less expensive more whole food version try Nonfat dry milk powder instead; offers 12g protein per & 18g carbs but the same calories overall as the Whey Protein Powder. There are also Pea & Brown rice protein powders made by two different companies; Nature Made & Nature’s Way. These are Vegan protein sources.)
1 Tbsp blackstrap molasses (adds Calcium Copper, Iron, Magnesium, Manganese, Selenium, & Potassium)

Pour the soy milk in the blender.
Add half ice cubes.
Throw in the powdered stuff
Add the molasses
Blend
Gradually add more ice or liquid as needed to reach a milkshake consistency
Pour into a “real” glass
Pour some in a jar or bowl to freeze and enjoy later. Will be ‘slushy’ after 2-3 hours
Once it has frozen solid or slushy, you can eat it with a spoon like you would eat ice cream but for a fraction of the calories and a plethora of nutrients.

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size ~2 cups (16 oz: 456g)
Servings Per Container 1
Amount per Serving
Calories 260 Calories from Fat 50
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 6g 8%
Saturated Fat 1g 5%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 180mg 8%
Total Carbohydrates 23 g 8%
Dietary Fiber 6g 24%
Sugars 9g
Protein 33g
Vitamin A 10% · Vitamin C 6%
Calcium 25% · Iron 35%
*


A good source of B-vitamins, having greater than 40% for all the B’s. An excellent source of all of the major minerals. Contains 20-30% of the Daily Value (DV) for Calcium, Copper, Iron, Magnesium, Manganese, & Potassium. Also a good source of Phosphorus, Selenium and Zinc. If you use fortified soy milk, you will receive an excellent source of B12 (50% DV) & Vitamin D, if not, then get your 15 minute dose of daily sunlight on your hands. This is how your body makes its own vitamin D for the day.

VARIATION: You can use frozen fruit in place of the molasses and ice. Try ½ of a frozen banana and keep all the other ingredients. But by omitting the molasses, you also cut out many of the essential minerals such as iron, calcium magnesium and potassium. So if you need a little sweetness, add a teaspoon of molasses. If you decide you don’t want chocolate then omit the cocoa and add fresh or frozen fruit (1/2 cup). You can also use 1 cup of yogurt in place of the soy milk which will boost the protein by 8g and add some beneficial bacteria. The only downfall is that you should not freeze this shake as it will kill off the good bacteria.

A Sick Day & Brownies

Under these circumstances…What should I eat?
A Registered Dietitian & Holistic Chef’s perspective on making food choices when information is abundant and money is scarce.

Today I took a sick day. I have been feeling ill all week and I can’t tell if it is a true stomach thing, flu-like or if it is that sick feeling of dread when you just don’t want to do “this” today or tomorrow or the next day. Yes, I have to admit that I sometimes dread my job but it’s not that I don’t like it. How can that make sense? Well, I do like the other employees. I like that my mind is engaged while working. But I don’t love that fact that even if I am a quick worker that I still am supposed to be there 8 hours each time because of some stupid labor laws. Some days I only want to work 4-5 hours and other days I want to work 10-12 and in the end the hours balance out.

In many aspects of my life I am pretty middle of the road. My personality is pretty much pleasant, never overly exuberant or under enthusiastic. I have good energy to get things done but sometimes I crash, although most of the time I am very even keeled. But when it comes to work I like to do either a lot or a little, not somewhere in the middle. So sometimes I will work hard for several days and then I want a few days to regroup. In the past this is what I loved about consulting work. I was allowed to work a lot and then take a few days off. So I could go out of town, or stay home and write or create or build or do whatever else I wanted to do to use my right brain because at work I use mainly, but not completely, my left brain. You see, I feel and understand and typically listen to my internal cues for balance. This job, however, with its multiple layers of corporate policies, has begun to stifle my internal balancing cues. I fear that this happens to many people but instead of taking a day off or changing jobs, they just allow it to happen until finally they really begrudge their jobs so therefore they indulgence in other ways like eating, having affairs, buying stuff. All we really need to do is to listen to, and then act on, the internal cues of our bodies which are forever trying to 'achieve balance'.

In time I will finish writing and publish my weight management book called The Dilution Solution. It is about the study of water and weight management. Water, it has been said, is the ultimate equalizer to all things on the earth. Think about how global warming threatens the potential for coastal flooding. If we don’t do something to alter global warming then before we know it, the oceans will balance us out. There will be fewer of us to add to the problem. In respect to our bodies, which are 70% water, just like the earth, water is the great equalizer. For me, living near the ocean allows me to feel balanced after spending 8-10 hours inland. But sometimes I need more. My diet is another way I achieve balance though water. Water rich foods help to fill me up and help me stay full. But sometimes even I want something more. Sometimes my diet is so water rich; full of soups, salads, protein shakes, and whole “water rich” grains (not dry ones). Well, sometimes I want a “dry” food, like a cookie. Today is a good day for that since I am not feeling well and since cookies comfort me, this might be a good time to make some. The only problem is that I don’t want to go to the store to buy anything. I want to make some sort of cookie out of what is already at my disposal.

It was really a conversation with my friend Danielle that sparked my cookie interest. She was at the grocery store buying some healthy ingredients for dinner when she came across the fresh baked cookies. She said, “Oh, no.” and I said, “What?” She said, “I can’t tell you.” And I said, “What? Just tell me.” She said, “Its cookies, with peanut butter and chocolate chunks and ohhhh, yummm. “ I said, “I have been craving cookies. Let’s see, what do I have to make cookies.” I looked around my apartment/kitchen/bedroom all-in-one, and saw my molasses, a rich source of iron used for my protein shakes. I saw whole wheat flour which I keep on hand for just this occasion. And I saw my dark cocoa powder which I use in my protein shakes to satisfy my chocolate cravings and to add magnesium and a class of antioxidants called Catechins. Found in tea, Catechins are powerful protectors from disease. I got up and grabbed a baking book which I purchased during my culinary program. It is a book called Uprisings, put out by the Cooperative Whole Grain Educational Association and first published in 1983. I have the revised version from 1990. It is a great book, I would highly recommend it for anyone who likes to bake and use alternative flours and healthy ingredients.

So, after a quick eval of my potential ingredients, I decided to open this book to see what I could make using only what I had on hand, and low-and-behold I instantly opened up to a page with a recipe called Carob Nut Bars. Carob is like cocoa, so that will work. Plus the recipe called for whole wheat flour and maple syrup, which I also had, chopped walnuts, got them too, plus oil, & tahini. The oil they called for was safflower, canola or sunflower. Well, I typically only buy olive oil, the extra virgin kind which is kind of strong flavored for baking but “Use what you have”, I always say. The tahini is sesame seed paste and I do sometimes have that on hand but not right now. Tahini is used in many of these recipes as a vegetarian replacement for butter. It is a wonderful substitute because not only is it vegan, it is saturated fat free and rich in a nutrient called a phytosterol; a powerful cholesterol lowering compound found in highest concentration in sesame seeds.

Well, none-the-less, I don’t have any tahini but knowing that I need a fat with properties similar to butter or tahini, the closest thing I could think of was flax seeds. You see, flax seeds, when ground and mixed with water in the right proportions, which only I know how, gives you a kind of slippery mixture similar to egg whites. In fact, you can use this same mixture to substitute for eggs. The ratio goes like this; for every egg you want to replace, take 1 tablespoon of ground flax seeds, plus 3 Tablespoons of water. The mixture will yield ¼ cup of total volume which is the same volume you would get from one whole egg or two egg whites or if you bought “egg substitute” the package instructs you to use ¼ cup of egg substitute to replace or ‘substitute’ one whole egg. So, since I didn’t have tahini or butter I decided to use the flax seed & water combo. So, the recipe goes as follows and I can tell you now, since they are done and I have already eaten some, that they are good, very much like a brownie. Not sure I’d use as much molasses so I will give you what I should have used because the molasses can tend to dominate the flavor.

BTW: even if it is “healthy”, if it is a baked good, it is is a 'dry' food. 'Dry' foods are the culprit for most portion control and weight management issues (not just my oppinion, also the oppinion of one of the leading Weight Managment researchers, Andrew Drewnowksy, PhD, from Washington State). I do have some difficulty with portion control so I gave a big portion to my neighbors. Just FYI, in case this is also your issue. Plus sharing makes things taste better I always say.

Cocoa Molasses Nut Bars/Brownies

Need a 6x10 inch pan or thereabouts, I used an 8x8 Pyrex glass baking dish and it worked out the same. Actually it should because 6 + 10 inches = 16 inches as does 8 + 8 inches = 16 inches, makes sense, right?

Wet ingredients
¼ cup oil (olive, canola, safflower, grapseed, etc)
1 Tbsp ground flax seeds + 3 Tbsp water (PS if you have tahini I might add 1-2 Tbsp too)
½ cup maple syrup
¼ cup molasses (Initially I used 1/3 cup of each but would rather have more maple than molasses)

Keep a little water on the side to add if the ingredients seem too dry

Combine all wet ingredients in a small mixing bowl and whisk with a fork until well blended

Dry ingredients

2 cups whole wheat flour
½ cup cocoa powder (I like Ghirardelli Natural Unsweetened Cocoa Powder, but if you can get a bulk dark cocoa at an Amish store like we have in PA, please do)
¾ cups chopped walnuts (I only had ½ cup walnuts so I also ground up ¼ cup almonds and mixed the two)

Mix dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl
Add the wet to the dry and mix with a fork

Then with very clean, dry hands, mix the ingredients by hand so that all the wet and dry are well combined to make a moist dough

Pour a smidge of oil into the bottom of your baking dish
Using a pastry brush, a rubber spatula or your clean hands, spread the oil evenly on the bottom and sides of the pan

Add the dough and use your clean hands to smoosh the dough on the bottom & sides of the pan to spread evenly

Place the pan in the freezer for about 1-2 hours to allow the dough to set
Or you could refrigerate overnight to bake fresh for the next day

Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes. I took the median and baked for 11 minutes.
Let cool on a baker’s rack or on a window sill. Cut while warm but not too hot.

They should mush together when you pull out a piece kind of like an undercooked brownie but so much better for you. Enjoy!

Cut into 16 pieces about 1 inch square

Per serving
170 calories
8g fat
23g carbohydrates
3g fiber
9g sugar
4g Protein

% Daily Values
71% Manganese
19% Selenium
17% Copper
16% Magnesium
12% Iron
11% Phosphorus
10% Niacin
9% Zinc
8% Potassium
7% Calcium
6% Thiamin
4% Vitamin E, Folate & Pantothenic Acid
3% Riboflavin

The only nutrients lacking are Vitamin D, which you can get from 15 minutes in the sun and Sodium which we can get everywhere else. Vitamin A & Vitamin C are also missing, all the more reason to precede a serving of brownie with a big green salad and a bowl of fresh citrus fruit. Add some tofu salad, an egg or two, chicken or tuna to the salad and voila, a completely balanced meal with dessert.

Under these circumstances...What should I eat?

Under these circumstances…What should I eat?
A Registered Dietitian & Holistic Chef’s perspective on making food choices when information is abundant and money is scarce.

For the past three years I have been writing a book which is actually not unlike this blog. My book/blog chronicles my life’s journey as I move around the country trying to develop and host my own cooking show. This has been my dream for the past 20 years, ever since I began my education to become a Registered Dietitian.

I always felt lucky, and maybe even a little too confident, that I knew my purpose in life at the age of 18. Prior to that I thought I wanted to be an actress and then a newscaster. I knew I had something to say and I wanted to say it in a big way. Twenty years later I am still pursuing my dream. As a financially poor but knowledge rich Dietitian and Holistic Chef I feel both lucky and cursed. I can’t stop trying to achieve my dream no matter where it takes me. Moving more than 20 times in a lifetime can be both liberating and reality checking. When you have to go through you 'stuff' every year you begin to think about what you can and can’t take with you. Because afterall, you can’t take it with you so why bother trying. Living a more minimalist life, I have realized now, more than ever, what is truly important to me. The only thing that really matters is my health. Now that I know how take care of my health to the best of my abilities, it is time for me to share my knowledge with the world, or whoever will listen.

Here’s a little insight into the developmental mind of a Dietitian who is also a Holistic Chef and a.k.a. The Kitchen Vixen.

In 1986, while running on the indoor track and lifting weights in my high school weight room, I was approached by my French teacher, Mr. Moyer, who also happened to be the power lifting coach. Mr. Moyer or Monsier Moyer (Pronounced: Missur Moy- A) as he was affectionately known by his French students, like me, told me that I should start powerlifiting and compete. I just laughed. And looking back, the situation was both funny, ha-ha and ironic because at the time I was only just beginning to exercise but now I consider myself quite an athlete. At that moment, when Mr. Moyer approached me, I had officially been lifting weights about six months, today I can boast that I have been lifting weights for 21 years and 3 months and I will never stop. I feel that strength training is the most important aspect of my physical life. I love being strong, I love my muscles and I love where they can take me. Like my most recent move from Las Vegas to Santa Monica. At age 38, I did it all myself, moved all my stuff and my car from one state to another to arrive where I belong. I have Monsier Moyer to thank for helping me realize the strength I had within me which had been untapped for 17 years prior.

At the time I started working out I thought I was such a late bloomer, many high school kids had played sports most of their lives and I did too, for a few years. Basketball was one of my loves. I played for two years in elementary school and two years in middle school but when I got to high school, I hung up my basketball shoes. Afterall, going into high school I was maybe 5’2’’ and barely 100 pounds. I never saw that weight again after that first year of high school. I spent the rest of my high school years and my life, at 5’4” and 123 pounds. Although then I was a size six and now a size two. I know sizing parameters change to make women feel better because they are able to wear smaller sizes but I also know that my body has changed tremendously over the years. I have muscles and definition I never had in my youth.

But, before I loved weight lifting, I loved and still love, B-ball. We had a net over our garage and a big driveway to keep me safe from the streets, although no one really drove down our little neighborhood street so I was always safe to shoot ‘til my heart’s content, so I did. Being small though, I didn’t feel that I could hang with the real basketball players in high school, so I didn't even try. Anyway, once I got to high school and started getting attention from boys, I realized that I needed to spend all my time looking good; clothes and make-up where far more important to me then.

At the age of 16 I was ready to drive, or so I thought. My stepfather would not even teach me to drive until I got a job and could pay my own insurance, so I did. My first job ever was in a steak shop, called Seward’s Steak Shop, named after the family that owned it. When I was young, by young I mean, under five, my family would go to Seward’s every Friday. We called Seward’s “The Greasy Spoon” and getting a piece of some of that grease was a weekly treat for my family. We weren’t the only ones who called it “The Greasy Spoon”. But by the time I began working there, more than 11 years later, Seward’s had lost that nick name and was now being run by the shop owner’s son. At this point in my life, nutrition was not even a word I really knew. I knew “exercise” and I knew “food”. But I never thought about how the two collaborated in my body.

As I am writing I am also cooking and eating before I go to the gym and then go to work. This is kind of what sparked this tangential thought process that I am sharing, the fact that I am a poor Dietitian who has to work, who loves to workout and who wants to host her own cooking show; my dream. But my reality is that I have to have a full time job that is ‘not’ hosting a cooking show. I consult in nursing homes. My income is OK, but barely lets me get by living in Santa Monica. I have to live close to the water so my rent is high and my food budget low. However, that being said, I will not sacrifice good nutrition for a small food budget, I just get more creative with my food choices and recipes. I usually do my cooking for the week on a Sunday but this Sunday I did not because I had some things left-over from last week. Just some vegetable soup and a tempeh & swiss chard dish which I make most every week, so that recipe will show up eventually. Rent is due this week and it is nearly one whole “two week’s worth” pay check which means that I am using up every last scrap of food I have to nourish my body.

I follow primarily a vegetarian diet. Yogurt is the only animal based product I consume on a regular basis. I do often eat eggs but have not been in the mood for them for the past few weeks. However, there are always some eggs in my frig as there should be in yours. Eggs are the gold standard for protein. They are literally the frame of reference by which food and nutrition experts compare other protein sources. Eggs are perfect because they contain all of the essential amino acids in the perfect proportion for optimal protein use in the body.

Now, just to be clear, you don’t have to eat only “complete” proteins in order to make complete proteins in the body. You can eat foods with only certain amino acids and foods that contain certain other amino acids and over the day, your body will put these amino acids together to make usable proteins in the body. Protein is used to make muscle, of course, and because I exercise regularly I want to be sure I get ample protein to help my body repair and build new muscle cells everyday. But I don’t worry about eating large amounts of animal protein or meat in order to ‘meet’ my body’s protein requirements. Instead, I focus on good quality plant based foods to supply the essential amino acids throughout the day.

Since I did not go grocery shopping this week and am using only what I have in my ‘pantry’ and frig, before going to bed last night I thought about what I would eat for the next three days. I am still finishing that tempeh dish but tomorrow will be the last day. I also have my famous Autumn Wheat Berry mix made with the whole wheat 'kernel' known as a 'wheat berry', plus chopped apples, dried cranberries, ground walnuts and flax seeds plus cinnamon and nutmeg and eaten with blueberries and Kefir (a type of liquid yogurt good for replenishing good intestinal bacteria). This Autumn Wheat Berry mix is a staple in my diet. It helps to satisfy my tastes for things sweet and chewy. Everyone who has every had it has loved it, including more than 400 hospital employees who I gave samples to at health fair in Las Vegas.

That takes care of my snack, but for meals I need something more substantial. A protein rich dish with lots of veggies is usually what I have for meals. I need to use what I have to meet my nutrition and taste requirements. I have some black beans, two avocados, a head of celery, some quinoa (pronounced Keen-wa), and some fingerling potatoes. The celery, potatoes, and avocados are all from my local farmers market and the black beans and Quinoa are from Whole Foods.

Dried beans and grains are a must in every pantry because they last forever, OK not forever, but for at least a year, and they are some of the most nutrient rich foods you can eat. Beans, for example are a source of carbohydrates and nearly a complete protein. One half cup of cooked beans contains about 22g of carbohydrates with 7g coming from fiber. That means that 7 of the 22 grams are non-digestible. You do break down some of that fiber but generally do not absorb all of the calories. Actually, the friendly bacteria that live in your Gastrointestinal (GI) tract help you break down that fiber so it can pass through and out of your body carrying with it other things we don’t want inside of us.

Fiber helps to lower cholesterol by decreasing its absorption from foods and reabsorption from bile. Fiber also helps you feel full. But water is really the biggest contributor to that feeling of fullness. That is why it is so important to consume and prepare water rich foods. Dried beans and whole grains need lots of water to make them edible therefore they are better choices than their dry counterparts like breads and crackers which are so easy to overconsume.

So, last night I soaked some beans, and this morning, while waking up and preparing to go running and writing, not at the same time, I cooked those beans, cooked some Quinoa, chopped some celery and diced and mashed one avocado. What I created is a kind of salad which I will actually use to top the leafy greens I eat everyday. I don’t necessarily eat a salad everyday but somewhere along the way I eat a leafy green.

After I workout it is a protein shake made with fresh mint leaves. Or it could be my tempeh with sauteed greens or a soup with kale or a spinach or baby green salad. My black bean & quinoa recipe is as follows.

Soak ½ cup black beans overnight in the refrigerator (cover the beans by more than double)
Rinse beans and add fresh water, 2 cups water for each ½ cup soaked beans.
Cook the beans on medium high heat checking every ten minutes and adding more liquid as needed
You want the beans to boil slowly with enough water to keep them rolling
Beans can take about 30 minutes to cook completely.
To test for doneness, remove a bean from the water using a spoon. Blow on it or run under cold water so you don’t burn your tongue
When the beans are done remove from heat then cool in the pot in an ice bath in the sink. We want these beans cool to make a salad. Drain any excess liquid from the beans.
½ cup dry beans yields about 1 ¼ cups cooked
To cook Quinoa, add about ¼ cup dried Quinoa to a fine strainer and rinse with cold water to remove ‘inhibitors’ – protective components of the plant that can inhibit the absorption of some essential nutrients
Add the Quinoa to a small sauce pot. Add 2 cups water or fresh brewed tea. I often use tea to cook grains, beans or sauté greens. Tea adds antioxidants. Any tea will do, they all have antioxidants.
Bring to a boil on medium high heat. Once boiling, reduce to medium low and allow to boil slowly until the quinoa is done.
You need to stir often and add more liquid as needed to keep the grain hydrated, don’t let it dry out.

The Quinoa is done when it looks like each grain has a tail on it. This is called the germ and it is the most nutritious part of the plant. Literally it is considered “the nourishment for the seed or grain”. The germ contains essential B vitamins, Vitamin E, along with minerals such as Zinc, Selenium and Magnesium just to name a few of the very essential trace minerals. Most “whole grains” as we know them, are stripped of the germ and the bran to leave only the remaining one third of the plant known as the endosperm. The endosperm contains most of the calories for the plant plus some protein and B vitamins, but it is no GERM. The germ is the bomb. The germ and bran are often removed in processing in order to extend the shelf life of the grain or seed. As consumers we are left with a more calorie dense and less nutrient dense skeleton of the plant’s former self. Therefore, the true “whole” grain is really where it is at. Now you just learned to cook Quinoa and now you also know why you should.

Some of this Quinoa is going to the black bean salad but since the morning is getting later and I want to go to the gym I will have to eat first. As it gets later I have to eat before I workout. Usually I can just crawl out of bed and go workout on an empty stomach but once I am up and about and active for more than two hours, then I have to eat before I can exercise. But I have to let my food digest for a good hour before I can go exercise. Typically I just get up and go so I don’t have to eat and then wait for my food to digest. Since I am hungry, I mixed ¼ cup of the cooked Quinoa with one cup of frozen wild blueberries, a teaspoon of organic raw honey and about ½ cup of soy milk and had myself a bowl of whole grain cereal. Yummmy!

The black bean salad is not done yet though…while everything was cooking I washed and finely diced three stalks of celery, the leaves and all. I also chopped one avocado and scraped a little avocado into a separate small bowl (about a tablespoon). To that small bowl I added about ¼ cup olive oil, 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes, 1 teaspoon dried garlic, 1/8 teaspoon sea salt and three turns of fresh ground black pepper. I mashed and mixed it all with a fork then added it to the cooled black beans and quinoa plus the celery and chopped avocado. It has been marinating in the frig for the past hour as I write. I just tasted it and it is perfect. This will be the topping for my leafy green spinach salad at lunch. Speaking of…I better go workout now. It is now 9:30AM. By the time I get to work it will be lunch time. Thanks for joining me for the first episode of…Under these circumstance, what should I eat? Tune in again to see…what I eat and why…