For The Love Of Almond Butter

After dragging Lori on a mission through Amherst and sending my former boss on hunts for it when he was travelling, I have in my possession a jar of Barney Butter.

It’s kind of amazing brilliant. Seriously the best almond butter I’ve ever had.

It has lived up to the bloggy hype and I think I’m going to need to ration it so that I don’t eat the whole jar by the end of the day weekend.

I am a very happy girl.

Q is for Quinoa & Quotes

I was going to make a joke about kumquats, but I realized that there’s only a q in the middle and that it actually started with k… oh dear.

Hello quinoa.

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Joey says that quinoa reminds him of little bugs, but I like it! Quinoa is an awesome gluten free seed that is actually a complete protein (meaning that it contains all 9 essential amino acids). It tastes a bit nutty, fluffs up like rice and has a wee bit of a crunch – talk about complex texture. I love that quinoa takes less time than rice to cook (usually about 15-20 minutes with 1 part quinoa to 2 parts water/broth) and I only need a small amount to feel full.

Quinoa is incredibly versatile and can be enjoyed at all meals! Most health food stores sell quinoa flakes, which is an awesome alternative to oatmeal in the morning. It cooks very quickly and is a great vehicle for all of your favourite toppings.

Quinoa makes a great side dish or salad for lunches and dinners. I recently made a yummy red quinoa salad from the Gluten Free Vegan cookbook.

Such a filling lunch! I usually have some sort of refreshing quinoa salad when I visit Camros. Delicious! Quinoa also works well in baked goods, like in these healthy cookies filled with love. If you’re a quinoa newbie, have a look in the bulk section of your local health store and pick up a little bit to try. It comes in a variety of colours, with the most popular being the yellowy-beige one. Be sure to rinse your quinoa very well before cooking. You can use it in any of the above ways, as a simple side dish cooked with some veggies in broth, or utilized wherever you would normally use rice. If you enjoy it, you can also find quinoa pasta, quinoa bread as well as quinoa flour.

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In other news, how is it going with the taking care of yourself business? What have you done for yourself this week?

I’m happy to report that after going to the dentist and an appointment at Red Tent Sisters I came home and had a nap, made some amazing pasta sauce, went to an awesome dance class and had tea with my best friend. Cooking, dance and good friends makes for the best therapy ever.

Q is also for quotes, so here’s one I have posted at my desk at work:

As you move towards the dream, the dream moves toward you. 
–Julia Cameron

I am holding this close as my mantra as of late. And this is the song we danced to tonight…

What’s your favourite quote?

L is for La La La Lentils

So while this song may not have anything to do with lentils specifically, I couldn’t help but find myself singing it when I realized I had gotten to L. (The la la’s kick in around 1:04 so you can sing along too!) I also think that the song has a beautiful message:

Sing, sing a song
Sing out loud
Sing out strong
Sing of good things not bad
Sing of happy not sad.
Sing, sing a song
Make it simple to last
Your whole life long
Don't worry that it's not good enough for anyone else to hear
Just sing, sing a song.

written by Digby Diehl

Sesame Street will always have a special place in my heart.

Now, onto the letter L…

As we’ve talked about before, there are a ton of non-flesh sources of protein and lentils are an amazing choice packing 19g of protein in every cup. Lentils are chock full of fibre, magnesium and folate making them great for your cardiovascular system and blood sugar levels.

Lentils are super easy to prepare since they don’t need to be pre-soaked. Just give them a good rinse and pick through them and toss any sad looking ones. They come in a wide variety of colours, but the ones I use most commonly are the red and green/brown kinds.

Some of my favourite lentil recipes include the lemon-lentil soup from my first cooking class with Meghan (you can also find it in her 5 days Vegan tutorial), snobby joes and the lentil black bean salad from La Dolce Vegan. I also like to include substitute them in recipes where meat is called for, like in this soup inspired by last year’s soup extravaganza!

Lentil Stuffed Green Pepper Soup

1 c dry lentils, rinsed (or 1 can lentils, rinsed)
1 cup diced onion
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. salt
3-4 tomatoes, chopped roughly
1 lb tomatoes, pureed in blender or food processor
2 cups chopped green peppers
3 cups water
1 cup cooked brown rice

Sauté onion until translucent. Add garlic and sauté for 2-3 more minutes. Place in a slow cooker with the remaining ingredients on low for 6-8 hrs or place in large soup pot and simmer 1 hour.

I also love lentils’ cousins, the other members of the legume family! (It just dawned on me that I could have called this post la la la legumes as not to exclude anyone… what can I say, it’s been a long week!) They’ve all got a lot going for them being low in fat and calories as well as high in fibre, iron, protein, a source of B vitamins and they’re very inexpensive to purchase. What’s not to love? Legumes, including lentils can contribute to a well-balanced healthy vegan (or not) lifestyle.

Do you enjoy lentils, legumes or Sesame Street?