Then I realized, I just had dinner and it was so delicious I thought I'd write about it. Anyone reading this may think I'm crazy, but I kind of had this for lunch earlier and dinner last night as well. My hubby is camping with the kids so I'm making my life easy by just putting together some food that I like and running with it. Yesterday, I picked up some red quinoa and some baby bok choy at Whole Foods. I had some leftover mung beans (thanks to my friend Blythe who introduced me to these beans that are high in iron and protein, I love to cook these up because they don't require soaking and they don't take that long to cook!). When I got home, I sauteed some fresh, organic red onion that I got from the Berry Patch Farm in Brighton, CO...anyone living in Denver and surrounding areas has got to visit this place! Bring your kids and pick some berries and then shop in their fabulous little store of veggies all grown on the property www.berrypatchfarms.com ! Anyway, back to dinner. I chopped up the bok choy and threw it in with the onions, added some sesame oil and turmeric and cooked those down a bit. Meanwhile, I made the quinoa with a really delicious organic vegan bouillon (thanks to Jenni who introduced me to those little beauties). They come in a box with 8 cubes and the brand is called Rapunzel. No MSG or any other crap--deee-licious! I added all three together: the mung beans, quinoa and bok choy with red onions and turmeric. A little soy sauce and it was a bowl of heaven. I would have added toasted sunflower seeds or pine nuts if I had them, but it was good either way. I think, if you're going to eat vegan, this type of meal covers you as far as nutrients are concerned, especially iron and protein. In addition to the mung beans, red quinoa is also nutrient dense--about 6 grams of protein per serving and 12% Iron, 5% Riboflavin and a whopping 20% Phosphorus. Of course, I'm not quite sure what all of this means, but I figure if it's edible from nature, the more color, the better it is for you. Also, by the way, I've cut and pasted below what Dr. Mercola says about turmeric (remember I added it to my veggies and I had also added it to my mung beans). Take a look:
You probably know that antioxidants are important nutrients in supporting your health.
They help you slow down free radical damage that can seriously damage your cells, organs and DNA. Turmeric helps protect your cells -- and helps you counteract this process with its antioxidant content.
The antioxidant content within turmeric comes from active compounds called curcuminoids.
These curcuminoids deliver antioxidants that may be:
- 5 to 8 times stronger than vitamin E -- and also stronger than vitamin C
- 3 times more powerful than grape seed or pine bark extract
- Strong enough to scavenge the hydroxyl radical -- considered by many to be the most reactive of all oxidants
- I believe antioxidants are your body's #1 way to neutralize free radicals and help you potentially slow down the signs of normal aging.
Oxidation by free radicals can damage cells and DNA -- and thus impact your aging process* -- something we all would like to put the brakes on.
I wish I had discovered turmeric long ago, but I guess, better late than never. I'm normally not a vegan but I do enjoy eating that way. When I was in NYC earlier this month, I ate at the Candle Cafe www.candlecafe.com on 75Th and 3rd. I really enjoyed the several meals I had there. Right now, I'm reading the book "The China Study" and the author, T. Colin Campbell, Ph.D., basically says that one should follow a plant-based diet with no animal protein. In other words, vegan. I am proceeding cautiously reading his book and to be frank, some of it is just outright annoying me, but I can't continue to comment until I am finished reading it. Oh well, next blog!
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