Winter Black Bean and Quinoa Pilaf
Hello again!
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So the lovely folks at Gourmandia have asked me to write a post about Health Food. This is both a breeze and a tall order. It’s a tall order because there are so many ways to interpret the phrase “health food” – everything from allergen-aware cooking to raw food diets, from organic and free-range animals and produce to unprocessed whole foods. There’s such a broad spectrum of definitions to work with, not to mention the challenge of dealing with health food related stereotypes like “health food is bland and tasteless” or “health food proponents are preachy and self-righteous”.
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It’s a breeze, though, because eating “health food” really just means eating the food that’s best for your body. Yes you, specifically. Everyone’s different and what makes one person feel energized and satisfied may leave another person feeling spacey and undernourished and stick a third person with a terrible, allergy-related stomach ache.
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Now, I’m no doctor, but when trying to figure out what “eating healthy” meant for my body, I asked myself questions like:
(A) What makes me feel satisfied, but not bloated or over-full?
(B) What kinds of meals give me energy that lasts through the day as opposed to spiking my energy and then crashing out midway through the morning or afternoon?
(C) What foods leave a funny, unpleasant taste in my mouth hours after eating, no matter how much water I drink or how many times I brush my teeth?
(D) Does anything I eat regularly leave me feeling sick or weak within a couple of hours of eating it?
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These simple questions, which probably sound like no-brainers, were an easy, personalized way to get an idea of what kinds of fruits, vegetables, proteins, and carbohydrates work best for my body.
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Below, I’ve included my recipe for a winter-seasonal Black Bean Quinoa Pilaf that’s chock full of calcium, vegetable protein, and antioxidants.
Enjoy!
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Winter Black Bean and Quinoa Pilaf
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You will need:
A steamer (electric or stove-top)
A sauce pan
A frying pan
A 2L serving dish or mixing bowl
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Ingredients:
2C quinoa, well rinsed (NOTE: Quinoa must be rinsed a couple of times to wash away its bitter coating – just trust me on this)
1 tin (or 1½ C, cooked) black beans, well rinsed
2 C winter squash, diced
1 head of broccoli, chopped into one inch pieces
10 large dried shiitake mushrooms, scrubbed and reconstituted
2 tbsp sesame seeds
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 leek, diced (white part only)
2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp each salt and black pepper
Pinch cayenne pepper (to taste)
2 tbsp sesame oil
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Directions:
1) Rinse the quinoa and add it to boiling salted water (ratio is 2 part water to 1 part quinoa) to simmer, covered, for half an hour.
2) While the quinoa is cooking, dice the squash and the broccoli and steam (15 minutes) in the steamer
3) Scrub and reconstitute the dried shiitake mushrooms, then cut them into slivers
4) Add the sesame oil to the frying pan
5) Mix the black beans, the slivered mushrooms, the minced garlic, sesame seeds, diced leek, herbs and spices to the frying pan and sauté on low heat for five to ten minutes.
6) Mix the quinoa, the bean mixture, and the steamed vegetables together in the serving bowl.
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Serve hot, as a main dish or a side. Garnish, if you’re inclined, with a dollop of yoghurt.
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TTFN,
Allison.
