Smoothie recap!

I totally forgot to write up the recipe for the Not So Green Smoothie I posted a few days ago…so here it is:

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup of fresh strawberries
• 1/3 cup of fresh raspberries
• 1/3 cup of fresh red currants
• 1/2 cup of cottage cheese
• 1/2 a frozen banana
• 2 cups of water
• 2 large handfuls of kale
• Agave Nectar to sweeten

I have a whole range of pulses and legumes in my store cupboard such as bulgar wheat, chick peas, mung beans, adzuki beans, pearl barley and a variety of lentils to name just a few.  Despite my stash I always seem to go back to (like an old best friend) quinoa. Its quite bland by itself so does need some major help in the flavour department. So last night for dinner I decided to incorporate quinoa into some kinda roasted vegetable salad, and it looked a little something like this…

Quinoa Vegetable Salad with Mackerel:

• 2 cups of quinoa
• diced sweet potato
• corgette slices
• red and yellow bell peppers
• 1 red onion
• 1 cup of kale
• 1 cup of cherry tomatoes
• smoked mackerel fillets

The dressing consisted of agave nectar, fresh lemon juice, cumin, mint and garlic…very tasty! =D

10 things you probably didn’t know about quinoa…

1. the Incas referred to it as the “mother grain,” providing strength to their warriors;
2. often considered a grain, quinoa is actually a seed closely related to spinach and Swiss chard;
3. it’s a great source of protien, calcium and iron;
4. quinoa is packed full with an amino acid called lysine, which is essential for the  repair of tissue;
5. it is free from gluten;
6. acts as a great source of copper and maganese, which helps rid the body of nasty carcinogens;
7. it also functions as a prebiotic and feeds the microflora situated in the intestines;
8. quinoa is a complete protein as it contains all nine major amino acids required to build muscle in the body;
9. 1/2 a cup of quinoa will on average provide you with 11 grams of protein;
10. it’s digested slowly and has a low glycemic index.

What is your favourite grain? And how do you like to incorporate wholegrains into your meals?