Recipes!!

Good morning everyone! The lower body workout today was killer - I forgot that I missed the lower body workout last week when I had The Plague so I couldn't figure out why it was harder this morning than usual :)

The recipe my SIL Kate forwarded to me is AWESOME! Even Luke tried it and loved it. The recipe made enough for me to have it for lunch this week as a great protein filled meal. Here you go!

QUINOA & BLACK BEANS
Ingredients:


1 TB vegetable oil (I used coconut oil)
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped (or used the bottled minced kind)
3/4 c. uncooked Quinoa
1 1/2 c. vegetable broth
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
salt & pepper to taste
1 c. frozen corn kernels
2 15oz cans of black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 c. chopped cilantro (I forgot to add this at the end and it was STILL really good!)


Directions:


1. Heat oil in medium saucepan over medium heat; stir in onion and garlic and saute until lightly browned.
2. Mix Quinoa into saucepan and cover with vegetable broth. Season with cumin, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 15-20 minutes (until the Quinoa has absorbed the broth)
3. Stir frozen corn into saucepan and continue to simmer about 5 minutes. Then mix in black beans and cilantro.


My mom asked me to write out this recipe for her; while I was doing so, I figured I'd write out an easy recipe for actually cooking your Quinoa (in case you're not sure). The recipe that follows is one I try to make every week. It's just plain Quinoa with no seasoning - that way it can be used later in the week for multiple recipes (like the AWESOME PORRIDGE I've been raving about):

QUINOA - PLAIN
Ingredients:


1 c. uncooked Quinoa
1 1/2 c. water


Directions:


First, you want to soak your Quinoa in warm water for around 5 minutes; then, place the Quinoa in a fine strainer and rinse under hot water for around a minute or so. This removes the bitter outer coating of natural chemicals called saponins (saponins make the Quinoa seeds less palatable to birds and other seed-eaters).


Second, put the Quinoa in a saucepan with the 1 1/2 c. of water on medium heat for around 15-20 minutes. Stir occasionally and keep an eye on the Quinoa especially toward the last five minutes. You want the Quinoa to soak up all the water, but if you forget about it the Quinoa will burn. TRUST ME :)