Vegan MoFo #23 – Can you believe that there’s only a week left for the Vegan Month of Food? It’s been a lot of work, but such a pleasure to be inspired by other vegans all over the world. I must have 100 recipes bookmarked to try! Before doing that though, I’m following a mini detox this week by cutting-back on complex carbs before I go 100% raw the first week of December. My next few posts will therefore focus on low-carb meal options.
I make some killer stuffed peppers using wild rice and mint (and may post the recipe at some point), but this recipe is so great because you get the added protein-punch from the quinoa. Quinoa is a grain-like crop grown primarily for its edible seeds. It’s pronounced “ki-nwa” but I’m always pronouncing it the wrong way, as it’s written: “qui-no-a”. People are always correcting me, and I swear, I’ll get it right some day!
The health benefits of quinoa are amazing – not only is it very high in protein (12%–18%), but it is also has a balanced set of essential amino acids. And although it’s been consumed in South America since 3000 B.C., NASA has recently considered it to be grown as a major source of food on space stations and space colonies. Ancient space food… cool!
Quinoa has a nutty, slightly bitter taste, and you should rinse it before using it to diminish the bitterness. There are different colors of quinoa to chose from and you can use it to replace rice in many recipes. You can even buy it as flakes and use it in your baking, or breakfast cereal, as I did for my Tropical Breakfast Quinoa. As you can see, quinoa is pretty versatile and can be purchased at most major grocery stores these days, so pick some up and try it out if you haven’t already!
This is Wholefoods’ recipe for Roasted Bell Peppers Stuffed with Quinoa and Cashews, served alongside some tofu and Macadamia Pesto.
Recipe
Macadamia Pesto
Ingredients:
- 4 tablespoons unsalted macadamia nut pieces
- 1/2 cup packed fresh basil leaves
- 1/2 clove garlic, minced
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 6 tbsp olive oil
- salt & pepper, to taste
Directions:
Whirl all ingredients with a bender or hand-blender.
