So far it's been great and it feels good to be back in the gym again. Paired with my working out I also decided to commit to eating well. I cut back on my carbs, added tons more veggies to my meals and am only eating lean proteins and seafood. I don't consider it a diet, because it's just choosing to eat your daily portions and not stuff your face with sweets everyday (guilty).
One thing that has come from this is my new excitement to cook. I've made all my meals this week from scratch and have enjoyed some time in the kitchen. Tonight I wanted to share my latest meal because it was so tasty!
I made black-bean and tomato quinoa with tofu, a recipe found on epicurious.com.
Preparation:
Whisk together lime zest and juice, butter, oil, sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4teaspoon pepper in a large bowl.
Wash quinoa in 3 changes of cold water in a bowl, draining in a sieve each time.
Cook quinoa in a medium pot of boiling salted water (1 tablespoon salt for 2 quarts water), uncovered, until almost tender, about 10 minutes. Drain in sieve*, then set sieve in same pot with 1 inch of simmering water (water should not touch bottom of sieve). Cover quinoa with a folded kitchen towel, then cover sieve with a lid (don't worry if lid doesn't fit tightly) and steam over medium heat until tender, fluffy, and dry, about 10 minutes. Remove pot from heat and remove lid. Let stand, still covered with towel, 5 minutes.
Add quinoa to dressing and toss until dressing is absorbed, then stir in remaining ingredients and salt and pepper to taste.
*(I don't have a sieve, nor do I know what it is! But I just cooked it, let it simmer with the lid on and added some extra water in the bottom. It worked out just fine)
Try it, it's simple, tasty and makes enough for a few days worth. I made some tofu with it but you can really add any ingredients you want for that. But you don't need a lot of tofu since the quinoa already has a lot of protein.
I've been reading up on quinoa and you can really make so much with it and it's a great source of protein. It also provides more amino acids, enzymes, vitamins, minerals fiber, antioxidants and phytonutrients than most other grains.
Here's to healthy living and eating!
