Quinoa Salad

Isn't it a shame that you even have to be careful of store-bought prepared salads? Rarely are they made with anything organic. Often, the cheese product is laced with cellulose*, the chicken conventional or breaded*, the dressing made with rancid vegetable oils*, the list goes on!

I believe in getting a lot of bang for your nutritional buck. If you're going to consume calories, make them count! Quinoa* is healthful when prepared properly and making your own dressing isn't hard.

Here's my latest Quinoa Salad recipe:

1 to 1 1/2 cups quinoa soaked overnight in water and 1 1/2 tablespoons of whey* and then cooked and cooled.
a couple of handfuls of shredded organic greens

organic baby carrots, sliced

2 tablespoons organic sunflower seeds*

1/4 cup organic unsulphured raisins

a pinch of sea salt
feta cheese to taste

Dressing:

1/4 cup Olive oil

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

3 tablespoons waterwater

1 small clove of garlic smashed and chopped

squirt of honey

Blend dressing into quinoa salad and enjoy!

*Dangers of cellulose

*Breaded chicken is often breaded with rancid hydrogenated vegetable oils and a soy-based flour. MSG or other flavor enhancers may be added.
*Rancid vegetable oils

*What is Quinoa?

*Whey is made when you drain yogurt. You can either drain store bought organic plain whole milk yogurt in a muslin lined colander, or your homemade yogurt. If whey isn' t on hand, you can use lemon juice or vinegar.

*Why Soak Quinoa?

*Sunflower Seeds should be soaked in a salt water and then dried in the oven or dehydrator to remove the phytates and make them more digestible.

Coconut Cut-Out Cookies

We all know that cookies aren't the healthiest thing to eat, but there are times we just want a sweet treat for ourselves or our families. Rather than running to the grocery store and buying their junk cookies, making them yourself is far healthier.

Here's my recipe for Coconut Cut-Out Cookies

1 1/3 cup organic all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp aluminum-free baking powder

1/4 tsp sea salt (not coarse)

1/2 cup sugar (or rapadura or Florida Crystals)

1/3-1/2 cup flaked coconut

Mix well and then add:

3 tablespoons butter, melted

3 tablespoons unrefined coconut oil, melted

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon coconut extract

Blend well, shape into ball, cover and refrigerate for at least an hour.

Remove from fridge, break ball in half, knead until just soft and roll out onto a floured surface. Cut out shapes and bake on greased cookie sheet at preheated 375 degrees until just browning on the bottom (4-8 minutes...I have a finicky oven). Remove, place on wire rack and cool. Yields: approx. 36 cookies