It's easy and tempting for me to numb out by sitting back and watching reality tv all day - and trust me I've done some of that; but that often leads to depression and wallowing in self-pity. One of my teachers, Rebecca Butler, used to encourage keeping up with any creative activity to keep you're spiritual juices flowing. For some people it's writing, or reading, or dancing - for me it's cooking. I feel so alive and inventive when I cook! Personally, I think it's the most rewarding hobby because you get to eat the final product!
Last night I was craving a warm salad even though its super hot out right now. Warmth makes this dish comfort food for me, and it helps with my homesickness! I also love lime...a lot, which is why I love Thai food! I love their use of lime and cilantro. Plus Thai food was a favorite of my Texan best friends so this dish also reminded me of good times.
Thai Inspired Quinoa
You will need...
1 cup of uncooked quinoa
1/2 a yellow pepper
2 stalks of celery
1/2 a yellow onion
1/2 cup of baby Bella mushrooms (already sliced)
1 tomato
1 cup fresh baby spinach
1/4 cup of fresh cilantro
3 tablespoons of olive oil
1 tablespoon of ghee
1lime
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon dry basil
Garlic Powder
Salt
Pepper
First...
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Chop and combine celery, onion, and bell pepper. Melt ghee in a pot. Add the chopped veggies previously mentioned to the pot and sauté adding the cumin, paprika, basil, and I threw in some garlic powder. After 2-3 minutes, throw in 1 cup of the dry, uncooked quinoa and add 2 cups of water. Bring to a rolling boil and the reduce to simmer. After about 15 minutes (most water will have absorbed and there will be little holes) cover quinoa with a lid for 5 minutes, allowing the rest of the water to evaporate. When those 5 or 10 minutes are up, uncover and give the quinoa a stir to fluff it.
Side Note: So, I'm really into ghee right now. Its a lot like butter but you can find great organic versions of this product in health stores. One of my mentors encouraged me to try it over my rice (I was healing from that nasty stomach infection) and it felt really good and quite healing to my body. It also has a higher smoke point then most fats which is great for cooking. If you don't like it you can sub butter or any other oil you like to cook with. Although, I believe ghee is responsible for making this quinoa dish so amazing!
During those 15 minutes that the quinoa is cooking, chop the tomato into big quarter chunks. Toss tomato and mushrooms in olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Extract the juice of one lime and place to the side (it will be added after the veggies have baked). Place all of the mixture on a sheet pan and bake for ten minutes, flipping the veggies once. When done, placed veggies and all their juices in a bowl. Add the lime juice to the mixture.
Final step! In a bowl make a bottom layer of baby spinach leaves. Add a desired amount of quinoa (I'm a healthy eater so I can eat a cup or two in one sitting!). Then top with the tomato/mushroom/lime mixture. Garnish with tons of fresh, chopped cilantro!
The tomato mixture makes enough for two - the quinoa makes 3 cups cooked.
Note: to my fellow Forrest Yoga teachers - half the onion is still pretty subtle so I think you'd be ok. I use garlic powder to avoid peeling and using raw garlic which is so delicious but a big no-no for us. The powder gives it some taste without making you smell like a garlic human for days!
Enjoy!
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