Balanced Living
welcome to my website!
Posted by Arja on April 11 in
I love to talk to people about nutrition and health. Having a blog section on my website will give me an outlet to share new information with people in the form of links to news articles, research updates, and even recipes!
Balance Body and Soul Nutrition is a business whose focus is to help people improve their health and vitality,and what better way to do this than by keeping people informed? Knowledge is what allows us to make the best decisions possible for our health. Don’t rely on soundbites because the big picture is far more interesting. More poor information is spread as a result of one sentance that lacks the whole story, so choose your sources wisely.
I’m going to start off this blog with something a little more fun and share one of my favourite recipes with you. This dish makes a great lunch, or even a vegetarian evening meal. One of the main ingredients, quinoa, has grown in popularity over the last 5 years and is now regarded as a “superfood” due to its fibre and protein content. Quinoa is classified as a grain, but in fact, it is the seed of a plant from South America. It is most often seen in white, but is also available in red. Quinoa is a great substitute anywhere you might use rice or couscous, and even though it is high in fibre it cooks up in a fraction of the time of brown rice! You can play aound with the types of vegetables and dried fruit used in this pilaf if you have some other favourites.
Curried Quinoa Pilaf
Adapted from “Barefoot Contessa”, Ina Garten
1 cup quinoa, washed and drained
1 ¼ cups water or stock
2-3 cups loosely packed spinach
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp sea salt
½ cup small diced carrot
½ cup small diced peppers
½ cup dried, unsweetened cranberries
2 sliced green onions
¼ cup kefir
¼ cup olive oil
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp curry powder
Step 1 - Bring water to a boil and add quinoa. Reduce heat, and simmer, covered, on medium. After 5 minutes, add carrots and red onion. Continue to cook for another 5-10 minutes, or until water is absorbed. Stir in spinach until wilted, turn off heat, and allow to sit for 5 minutes.
Step 2 - Meanwhile, in a bowl, stir together kefir, oil, vinegar, curry, turmeric, and salt. Pour over quinoa mixture and add peppers, green onions, and cranberries. Stir well to combine and serve.
