All About QUINOA! Pecan Raisin Quinoa Salad: Vegetarian, Vegan

ON A SIDE NOTE, I WOULD LIKE TO MENTION THAT THIS IS MY 100TH BLOG POST!! THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO HAS SUPPORTED ME THE PAST TWO YEARS. 

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO READS CLEAN EATING TEEN!

Hey there Clean Eaters! I apologize for my absence this past week, with the holidays. I hope your Christmas (if you celebrate that) was fun, safe, and joyful.

After these crazy holidays, I'm sure many of you want some time to relax and just detox. I think today's recipe is perfect for that!

I don't know how you chose to balance out the holiday treats. I personally did my best on staying on track during the holidays, making healthy versions of sweets. Thanksgiving I did indulge with a slice of home made coconut cake, but other than that everything had been normal eating for me nutritionally!

Many people over-indulge during the holidays due to the abundance of food, sweets, and alcohol. This is probably why come January 1st, the top item on most resolutions lists is to get healthy!



But like I and anyone else who is participating in the No Excuse November Challenge with me... why start in January when you can start RIGHT NOW? Thanksgiving is over with. Christmas just passed. What is holding you back?

If you remember from my Thanksgiving recap, I posted a picture of my meal.



The above is pictured with some turkey, but the yummy looking stuff underneath is today's recipe!

Let's be honest here. I have a serious love for carbs... at least, the healthy kinds!

I LOVE quinoa. I have used it in previous recipes, it is the star of this one... and I am sure it will be used again soon!

Here are some stats on the super grain:

• Quinoa gives a lot of bang for its buck. For only 222 calories per cup of cooked quinoa, it gives over 8 grams of protein! 
• It actually is not a grain. It is related to dark leafy vegetables such as spinach, and is allowed in most Paleo life styles. 
• It is gluten free.
• It is a complete protein, having all essential amino acids. 
• Quinoa is high in manganese, magnesium, iron, copper and phosphorus. 

Thanks Marks Daily Apple for these facts !

Pecan Raisin Quinoa Salad

Serves 3-5

1/3 cup dry quinoa
3/4 cup+1/2 cup vegetable stock, unsalted
1 small onion, diced
1/3 bell pepper, diced
3/4 cup chopped mushroom
1 stalk celery, chopped
2 small carrots, chopped
1 small sweet potato, chopped and cooked (boiled or roasted) with skin
1/3 cup unsweetened raisins
1/3-1/2 cup shelled pecans (bits and halves)
TBSP coconut oil
1/2 TBSP herbs de province
TSP thyme, dried
2 TSP cumin
2 TSP garlic powder
2 TSP chili powder
pinch of salt

1) Bring 3/4 cups of stock and 1 TSP of cumin, garlic, and chili powder to a low boil. Add the dry quinoa and let it simmer until all the liquid has been absorbed. Set the pot aside.

2) Chop all your veggies, then melt your coconut oil over medium high heat. Saute the veggies (not the sweet potato) for about 3 minutes.

3) Add in the rest of your seasoning, as well as the quinoa and any leftover liquid. Cook for another 1-2 minutes.

4) At this point, toss in your raisins and your pecans. Stir in the rest of the stock.

5) Turn the heat down, and add the sweet potato. Cover the mixture and let the flavors meld together and the liquids to be absorbed for a few minutes.

6) Serve and enjoy!

I ate this salad hot, but it would also be fantastic cold. You could add some wilted spinach or kale if you wanted too!

Try this super detox salad and tell me how you feel after! Even if you aren't really "detoxing" per say, this is still a super easy meal or side dish.

How are you detoxing after the holidays?

Natalie 

Why Its Important to Buy Wild Caught Seafood

This post is a part of Unprocessed Fridays!

A while back a posted a recipe for some shrimp that I had been given fresh from the coast.

I was SUPER happy to get these, because I typically don't buy seafood from the grocery store... sure, the conventional stuff isn't TOO expensive. But the fresh caught, NOT FARMED quality? Way too pricey.

So, what is the big deal about buying wild seafood anyways? How is it different than farmed? This post is all about why you should be concerned where your fish, shrimp, and other sea creatures are coming from before placing them on your plate!



Environmental Impact...
When sea creatures are farmed, they are usually held in large tanks and forced into close environments. These "farming" methods usually have a large toll on the environment. One of the biggest threats of farmed salmon, for example, is the risk of an infestation of sea lice. Sea lice is common among raised fish, and can easily spread into the surrounding water and effect the wild creatures.
Not to mention, farming fish poses as a huge threat to the surrounding food chains and wild life. Building the farming areas destroys natural habitats, and the toxins used leaks into surrounding waters. Training fish to live in these conditions, and deliberately breeding them, also greatly reduces biodiversity which is essential for the survival of any species.



Nutritional Inequality...
Farmed creatures have been shown to be much more fatty than wild. This is no surprise, as they are in a contained space and do not have the opportunity to swim freely. This being said, they are usually much higher in the pro-inflammatory Omega 6's. They lack the healthy Omega 3's found in wild caught salmon and other fish. Overall, the nutritional quality is much lower than their free roaming counter partners.



Exposure To Toxins...
Wild caught fish get their color naturally from the food they eat and their environment. When they are farmed, however, many artificial dyes are used to mimic this coloring. They are also exposed to disinfectants and pesticides (to try and avoid sea lice), and are usually found to have higher contents of metals in their bodies due to the painting of their containers.


Economic Toll...
Quoted from www.farmedanddangerous.org,

"Whereas the dollar value difference between wild salmon marine industries and aquaculture is not highly significant, wild salmon industry jobs far outweigh the few jobs provided by the aquaculture industry.

Open net-cage salmon farming is jeopardizing the province’s sports fishery, commercial fishery, fish processing sector, and marine tourism – all of which contribute more economically than aquaculture."

Overall, there really is no question whether or not to purchase farm raised seafood. Your answer should always be NO!! I understand they usually are cheaper and can be bought in bulk... but those dollars you are saving are actually costing you a lot in the sense of personal-and environmental- health.

Your best bet is to save having store bought sea food for special occasions, and buying quality produce. When purchasing from the store, always ask the butcher where the fish or shrimp is from, or look for a statement on the packaging that states it is WILD CAUGHT. :)


Picture from www.thatorganicgirl.com 


What are your thoughts on farmed raised sea food?

Natalie



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