La quinoa avec les legumes

      This is such a simple dish. I typically make a variation of this at least once or twice a week. In this recipe I used quinoa. Quinoa is super rich in protein - making this an invaluable food for vegetarians. Variations can be made with other grains. My favorite is a 8-grain blend from Trader Joe's. For either variation I feel that it is important to prepare the grain in vegetable broth instead of water. Personally for me, quinoa prepared with water is a little bland.

The Recipe:

serves about 2

1 Cup Quinoa

1 Cup Vegetable Broth

2 Red Bell Pepper

1 Onion, White or Walla Walla Sweet Onion preferred.

Seasoning of any type, such as, Sea Salt, Black Pepper, Minced Garlic, Oregano

Handful of Basil (optional)

Some Olive Oil for Sauté

Directions:

In a medium pot, bring broth to boil. Add quinoa, return to boil - then reduce to simmer. Simmer for about 10 minutes or until liquid is fully absorbed. Meanwhile, chop onion and bell pepper into bite-sized pieces. Heat oil to medium high heat and then add in first the onion and when onion becomes slightly translucent add in bell pepper. Sauté until tender. Season and toss with basil (if using). Serve over a bed of quinoa.

Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten-Free

Sprouted Wheat, Wheat Bread

I finally got around to having a go at making sprouted wheat bread. Sprouting was pleasant fun, and only took a few days. I will post about the sprouting process in greater detail in the future. It's a fun activity and children especially would have a fun time watching the little seeds begin to grow tails.

The bread itself turned out quite well considering I had to improvise from the recipe I was following. When I sprouted my wheat berries I did not have the recipe in mind so after processing the sprouts, I only had about 1/2 cup of sprout pulp. The recipe called for 3 cups of sprouts. I decided to just continue with substituting the remainder with whole wheat flower. My deviation from the recipe was promising and I was left with a tasty and wholesome bread.

Here is my altered recipe:

1/2 2 1/2	cup wheat, sprouted and then processed into a pulp. cups of whole wheat flour
1/2	cup plus 2 tablespoons vital wheat gluten
1 1/2	teaspoons salt
2 1/4	teaspoons instant yeast
2	tablespoons honey (or other sweetener for vegan)
1 3/4	cup warm water (100-110 degrees, or what yeast calls for)
1/2	cup mixed sesame, pumpkin, sunflower, and flax seeds (optional)
	Vegetable oil (for the bowl)