BIRD FOOD

I ran into an old acquaintance of mine the other day whom I haven't seen in a long time, and we decided to have lunch together. I suggested we meet at my place since the house was quiet with no kids running around. I decided to surprise her with something different then her regular BBQ chicken breast with a side of baked potato. "Lets have a vegetarian lunch." I said.

So she offered to help me with fixing lunch.

I started setting the ingredients out when she noticed the Quinoa. Staring at me with consternation, she announces, "Are you really planning on feeding me BIRD FOOD?!"

I smiled because it is not the first time I am having this reaction from people who are not familiar with quinoa. As a matter of fact this was my first reaction when I was introduce to it for the first time.

"No," I answered calmly, "I am not feeding you bird food." What you are about to  discover  is one of the most ancient grain that the Inca people were eating for generations hundreds of years ago.

Quinoa is considered to be one of the highest protein whole grain, rich with amino acid vitamin B, and calcium. Loaded with fiber and gluten free which makes it a safe alternative for people with diabetes.

So after couple of hours  of sharing our life stories with each other and seeping some nice herbal tea we got down to prepare our dish. All this time the Quinoa was soaked in water in order to neutralize the enzyme that covers the grain that can interfere with our digestive system. By soaking the grain all of it's nutrients are more available.

                   My Quinoa version to Tabule

1 Cup of organic Quinoa (preferably soaked over night or for few hours)

2 Cups of water

1 bunch fresh organic Mint  leaves finely chopped

1 bunch fresh organic parsley finely chopped

1 small red organic onion finely chopped

Juice squeezed from 1/2 lemon

2 tbs olive oil (cold pressed)

Salt to taste

Fresh ground pepper to taste.

1.small organic tomato optional.

Rinse the Quinoa put all the ingredients in a pot and let it boil.

After boiling let it simmer till all the water gets absorbed for about 10 minutes and turn the stove.

Let it sit covered for another 5-10 minutes and then fluff it with a fork. Add all the rest of the ingredients  with the quinoa in a bowl season an taste. Mmmmm delish.

 Needless to say with enjoyed our lunch and I got her addicted to this grain for life.

Love & Spices

Bat-Sheva