Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Whats for lunch? Quinoa!

The initial inspiration for this dish came from Oh She Glows (Mandarin Maple Spiced Quinoa) but I ended up making so many substitutions and additions that it became a completely different recipe all together.



2 tbsp. quinoa, toasted
1/2 c. water
1 c. packed baby spinach, minced
3 tbsp. canned chickpeas
1/2 tbsp. raisins
1 pitted date, chopped
2 mini honey mandarins
1/2 tbsp. raw almond butter (regular is fine too)
1 tsp. agave nectar
1 tsp. pepitas, toasted
a pinch each of salt, pepper, cinnamon and garlic powder
sprinkle of nutritional yeast (optional)

Cook quinoa according to directions.
Add minced spinach (I mince mine in a food processor), chickpeas, date, and raisins and cook for about 5 minutes until all water is absorbed.
Add spices, almond butter, and agave and stir until combined.
Transfer to a bowl and top with pepitas and yeast!

SERVES: one. (This recipe is very adaptable, so feel free to play with measurements.)
INFO: 260 calories.

And the best part??



Look how tiny the mandarin sections are!

3 comments:

Jaime said...

I'm sorry to sound harsh, but why are worried about calories? And why do you eat a mere 2 T of quinoa? You look sickly thin, and it's not healthy nor is it attractive. You look as though you need some serious help.

Miso said...

Hi! I really like your recipes and also your creations of oatmeal bowls!!

VerityKae said...

Jaime- Im sorry it took my so long to reply to your comment, Blogger wasnt allowing me to make replys for quite a while. Now that thats fixed, I dont appreciate you coming on my blog to criticize me. Two tablespoons of DRY quinoa ends up being a fourth of a cup which, when adding everything else to the dish... is perfectly normal for a side dish. I need to count calories so I dont lose any more weight, not as a method of weight loss. Ive been dealing with a number of medical issues and find it rude for you to tell me that Im too thin and sickly. If someone was overweight, I highly doubt you'd walk up to them and say "Wow, youre huge, I think you should go on a diet." Am I correct? Bah.. anyways, you probably wont even read this, never mind reply but I just felt that I needed to get my opinion out there just in case you do.