Quinoa is a seed that has the texture of a grain.  It contains all eight essential amino acids, is high in protein, calcium, and iron, has a decent amount of fiber (3 grams per serving) and is gluten free.  I waited so long to try quinoa because it was touted by the health foodies and I was thinking, “Something so good for you, can’t possibly taste that great.  And I don’t want to waste money by trying something I may not like.”  I finally gave in because it has been getting more popular where I live.

Before cooking quinoa, you need to remove the natural bitter coating (saponins) by soaking it in water.  Run cold water over it and gently rub the seeds together.  It is more beneficial to also soak the quinoa over night in water:

Author of Nourishing Traditions, Sally Fallon, explains that all grains contain phytic acid in their outer layer.  The acid can combine with minerals in the intestinal tract and block their absorbtion, which can lead to mineral deficiencies and bone loss.  Soaking for as little as seven hours allows enzymes to break down and neutralize phytic acid and enzyme inhibitors… Not technically a grain, but the fruit of the Chenopodium family, it [quinoa] has superior nutritional properties.  All quinoa products should be soaked – Andean Indians recognize that the antinutrients in quinoa are neutralized this way.

Uses for Quinoa

• Quinoa’s taste and texture are similar to rice.  It feels lighter in the mouth and tastes a bit nuttier.  Use two parts water to one part quinoa.
• Eat it plain or with some butter, salt, and pepper.
• For breakfast, add honey, maple syrup, a little milk, nuts, and/or dried fruit to cooked quinoa.
• For lunch and dinner, use quinoa in place of rice.  For a different flavor, use stock in place of water when cooking the quinoa.
• Quinoa can be found at any health food store.  If you’re skeptical about the price, get a small amount from the bulk bins to try before you buy a larger amount.

Hot Apple Quinoa

Ingredients:
½ cup quinoa
½ cup brown rice
1 apple, cored and chopped
1 tsp ground cinnamon, cardamom, or a mix of both
2 cups water
2 tablespoons raisins
2 tablespoons dried cranberries or additional raisins
2 tablespoons chia seeds (These little guys are filling, high in Omega-3s, and high in fiber.  A little goes a long way!)
2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup

Instructions:
1. In a pot, combine quinoa, rice, apple, cinnamon and water.

2. Cook until water is absorbed (like cooking rice).

3. Stir in dried fruit, seeds, and honey.

Thanks for visiting!  If you’re interested in more recipes you can check out my food and recipes pages.  If you want to know what I’ve been up to this week, visit my front page.  To stay up to date, subscribe via RSS or subscribe via Email.

I’m also participating in the following link-ups today!  You can find many more fantastic recipes here:

• Homemaker Monday’s @ 11th Heaven’s Homemaking Haven
• Just Something I Whipped Up @ The Girl Creative
• Monday Mania @ The Healthy Home Economist
• Motivate Me Monday @ Keeping It Simple
• Mouthwatering Monday’s @ A Southern Fairytale
• Just Something I Whipped Up @ The Girl Creative
• Make Your Monday @ Twice Remembered
• Tasty Tuesday @ Balancing Beauty and Bedlam
• Tempt My Tummy Tuesday @ Blessed with Grace
• Tuesday’s at the Table @ All the Small Stuff
• Tackle it Tuesday @ 5 Minutes for Mom
• Works for Me Wednesday @ We Are THAT Family
• What’s Cooking Wednesdays @ Tales from the Fairy Blogmother
• Friday Feasts @ Mom Trends
• Foodie Fridays @ Designs by Gollum
• Food on Fridays @ Ann Kroeker’s blog
• Finer Things Friday @ The Finer Things in Life
• Fight Back Friday @ Food Renegade
• Home and Family Friday @ Home is Where My Story Begins
• Hodge Podge Friday @ It’s a Hodge Podge Life
• Plant a Punkin Seed Party @ Punkin Seed Productions
• Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap
• Show and Share Day @ Just a Girl

I’ve done quite a bit of experimental baking lately.  The animals, all five of them, have really enjoyed it as well.  Mrs. Klutzo (that’s me) frequently drops stuff on the floor.  I guess I get a little too enthusiastic To reward them for taste testing all of my creations, I made them some new treats .  Now that I’m done being sarcastic, here’s a recipe for the cats, and yes, the dogs enjoy them too!

Ingredients:

• 1 – 6 ounce can of tuna
• 1/4 cup water drained from tuna
• 3 tablespoons cooked egg white, chopped
• 1/4 cup cornmeal
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• The original recipe says to add ingredients in steps, but I just dumped it all in a bowl at the same time and mixed it up
• Knead into a ball and roll to 1/4 inch thick
• Cut into cat-sized pieces
• Bake at 350 F for 20 minutes

Note: The original recipe says that this will make 12, 1-inch cat cookies.  Not only is 1/4 inch really big, especially for your cats mouth, how is he or she going to eat a 1″x1″ morsel?  I rolled my dough thinner and made them 3/4″x3/4″ and no, they would not eat the treats because they were so big.  Three cats, two of them will literally eat anything the dogs eat, none of them would eat them at this size.  I ended up cutting the treats into quarters and that worked for them.  These store well in an air-tight container in the fridge.  Oh, and if you roll them out thinner and cut them smaller, this definitely makes a lot more than 12 treats!

Thanks for visiting!  If you’re interested in more recipes you can check out my food and recipes pages.  If you want to know what I’ve been up to this week, visit my front page or subscribe via RSS!

I’m also participating in the following link-ups today!  You can find many more fantastic recipes here:

• Homemaker Monday’s @ 11th Heaven’s Homemaking Haven
• Just Something I Whipped Up @ The Girl Creative
• Tasty Tuesday @ Balancing Beauty and Bedlam
• Tempt My Tummy Tuesday @ Blessed with Grace
• Tuesday’s at the Table @ All the Small Stuff
• Tackle it Tuesday @ 5 Minutes for Mom
• Works for Me Wednesday @ We Are THAT Family
• What’s Cooking Wednesdays @ Tales from the Fairy Blogmother
• Foodie Fridays @ Designs by Gollum
• Food on Fridays @ Ann Kroeker’s blog

I hate the word diet.  There are multiple phrases that bother me.  ”Are you on a diet?” What diet are you on?” “I need to go on a diet.”  Someone asked me in January, “You look great!  What diet are you on?”  I froze because I wasn’t on a diet.  I wasn’t trying to do anything special.  So I said, “Um, just eating natural foods and fruits and veggies.”  That’s not a diet, it’s a way of life.  Since then, the coupon experiment has been in full swing and I’ve gained 10 pounds.  I’ve been thumbing through Nourishing Traditions again and slowly putting changes back into my life.  I’m ready to start eating well again!

With some things I go all out and jump right in, but food is a different story.  I ease my way into any changes I make with what I eat.  I also start with the fun stuff, aka dessert type foods and drinks.  Ironic, right?  I feel that if a more healthy or nutritious dessert or sweet recipe tastes good and makes me feel happy (and passes D’s approval), then I become brave enough to try the more interesting things.  So I started with pancakes from Nourishing Traditions.

This recipe needs to be started the night before to allow for the soaking of flour.

Author of NT, Sally Fallon, explains that all grains contain phytic acid in their outer layer.  The acid can combine with minerals in the intestinal tract and block their absorbtion, which can lead to mineral deficiencies and bone loss.  Soaking for as little as seven hours allows enzymes to break down and neutralize phytic acid and enzyme inhibitors.

Pancakes

• 2 cups – ground spelt, kamut, or whole wheat flour.  So far I’ve only tried this recipe with spelt.
• 2 cups – an acidic liquid like buttermilk, kefir, yogurt (or 2 cups filtered water plus 2 tablespoons whey, lemon juice, or vinegar)
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 tablespoons melted butter

Yield is 16-20.  This recipe can successfully be halved.

Soak the flour in the acidic liquid in a warm place for 12-24 hours.

In the morning (or 12-24 hours later), stir in other ingredients and thin if needed with water

Cook on a hot, oiled pan

Easy and delicious! (My pretty pancakes ~ these turned out great, even though I have a tendency to burn things!)

The verdict:

These pancakes are fluffy and delicious.  D and I prefer the taste and texture of these pancakes to the boxed powders.  And although we both enjoy vegan pancakes, I think it’s safe to say we like these more!  We both like strawberries on the side with them.  D tops his with butter and maple syrup while I like mine with cashew butter and just a hint of syrup or honey.  Yum!  Even if the whole idea of soaking has you confused and it looks like a lot of work, it’s not.  And it’s totally worth trying!

Thanks for visiting!  If you’re interested in more recipes you can check out my food and recipes pages.  If you want to know what I’ve been up to this week, visit my front page or subscribe via RSS!

I’m also participating in the following link-ups today!  You can find many more fantastic recipes here:

• Homemaker Monday’s @ 11th Heaven’s Homemaking Haven
• Mouthwatering Monday’s @ A Southern Fairytale
• Just Something I Whipped Up @ The Girl Creative
• Make Your Monday @ Twice Remembered
• DIY Day @ A Soft Place to Land
• Tasty Tuesday @ Balancing Beauty and Bedlam
• Tempt My Tummy Tuesday @ Blessed with Grace
• Tuesday’s at the Table @ All the Small Stuff
• Tackle it Tuesday @ 5 Minutes for Mom
• Works for Me Wednesday @ We Are THAT Family
• What’s Cooking Wednesdays @ Tales from the Fairy Blogmother
• Friday Feasts @ Mom Trends
• Foodie Fridays @ Designs by Gollum
• Food on Fridays @ Ann Kroeker’s blog
• Finer Things Friday @ The Finer Things in Life
• Fight Back Friday @ Food Renegade

Spring party season is coming up and it’s time to start planning!  This will make a tasty addition to all the baby showers, bridal showers, and graduations coming up.  I got the following recipe for a fun party punch from my mom who got it from one of her coworkers.  It’s super easy and tastes good.

This is one of those recipes that don’t have specific measurements – it’s pretty much up to the maker.  There is a happy medium and you’ll find it!

The recipe calls for just three ingredients:

1. 2 quarts prepared fruit drink (for example – KoolAid… I made mine raspberry flavored)
2. A container of sherbet/sorbet of coordinating flavor (I used raspberry sherbet)
3. 2 liters 7-Up

Pour fruit drink so it fills about half of a punch bowl.

Next, little by little add in the 7-Up – this is where you taste test.  The right amount will taste like fizzy KoolAid – not too little that it tastes like flat flavored pop and not too much that it tastes like 7-Up.

Add a few scoops of sherbet/sorbet…

(Sorry for the messy photo – this was New Year’s Eve and we had some friends over!)

It will melt….

And finally give a frothy look to the top of the punch while adding some more flavor!  Fun, easy, delicious!

Thanks for visiting!  If you’re interested in more recipes you can check out my food and recipes pages.  If you want to know what I’ve been up to this week, visit my front page or subscribe via RSS!

I’m also participating in the following carnivals today!  You can find many more fantastic recipes here:

• Homemaker Monday’s @ 11th Heaven’s Homemaking Haven
• Mouthwatering Monday’s @ A Southern Fairytale
• Just Something I Whipped Up @ The Girl Creative
• Make Your Monday @ Twice Remembered
• DIY Day @ A Soft Place to Land
• Tasty Tuesday @ Balancing Beauty and Bedlam
• Tempt My Tummy Tuesday @ Blessed with Grace
• Tuesday’s at the Table @ All the Small Stuff
• Tackle it Tuesday @ 5 Minutes for Mom
• Works for Me Wednesday @ We Are THAT Family
• What’s Cooking Wednesdays @ Tales from the Fairy Blogmother
• Friday Feasts @ Mom Trends
• Foodie Fridays @ Designs by Gollum
• Food on Fridays @ Ann Kroeker’s blog
• Finer Things Friday @ The Finer Things in Life