Quinoa – Livingleen

Though its rainy and temperatures are dropping again, its still the weekend, so WOOOOHOOOOO!!! Happy Friday!

Since diving season started my weeknights are getting later and later. I am not getting home until about 10pm some nights, so I have to opt for something easy to make, easy to eat and easy to digest! When it comes to awesome food, simple is best! This spicy zucchini and quinoa stir fry has both intense flavor and incredible nutritional value! I can’t decide which I do faster, make or eat, this insanely delicious dish!

ALSO, it’s gluten, dairy, soy and meat free; though I am eating wayyy later in the night then I would like, I am not giving my body anything difficult to digest.

Spicy Zucchini and Quinoa Stir Fry:

1/2 sweet onion
2 cloves garlic
1 tbsp EVOO
1/3 cup homemade veggie stock
2 zucchini squash
1/2 cup cooked quinoa
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp cayenne
salt and pepper to taste

Heat tbsp of EVOO over med. heat while mincing onion and garlic and chopping the zucchini squash. Cook down onions and add garlic once the onions become translucent…stir frequently to prevent burning. Add the red pepper flakes to the onions and garlic – let cook together for about a minute before adding little bit of the stock. Add zucchini and allow to cook for a few minutes until tender…add remaining stock, cooked quinoa, cayenne, salt and pepper. Allow mixture to cook together until well incorporated and heated through before diving in!

While I feel like my description is lengthy, it takes less than 15 minutes from start to finish; which is perfect for someone like me who is looking for homemade, nutritious, flavorful food with minimal effort!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Enjoy!

Happy Hump Day! As requested, today I am sharing the soy, dairy and gluten free ‘chocolate’ pudding I have been eating for breakfast this week.

As the title suggests, this was a complete accident, but a happy one at that. I was attempting to make a brownie but needed to make it gluten, dairy, soy free and wanted to use the super ripe avocado sitting on my counter because I hate wasting food! Since I am terrible at following recipes – I’ve always followed the beat of my own drum – I just started combining ingredients until I came up with something that mildly resembled brownie batter.

When I pulled it out of the oven, I realized the consistency really hadn’t changed…at all! It was still super creamy just without the avocado-y taste it had before baking. I contemplated my options and decided I would mix it with a little quinoa nd have it as a sort of chocolate pudding; which, thus far has been a delightful morning treat!

‘Chocolate’ Pudding with Quinoa:

1 can rinsed and drained black beans
3 eggs whites
1/2 cup applesauce
1 avocado
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tbsp honey
pinch of salt
1/4 cup almond meal
1/2 cup cooked quinoa

Combine all the ingredients except the quinoa in a blender and mix until all are well incorporated. Bake in the oven at 350 for 25 minutes, allow to cool and then mix in quinoa.

I feel silly even sharing because this is so NOT what I intended to make, nor is it how you would normally make a pudding, BUT oh well!

Here’s to happy accidents…enjoy!