Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Quinoa Patties

Quinoa Patties, Spinach & Salad
And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. - Genesis 1:29



These passed the test! Simple ingredients, not many spices, but the quinoa is very flavorful in the best way. yum yum!

If you're a meat eater these would make great crab cakes. Or you could add fish (salmon perhaps?) That was suggested by family members who tried it :)

The patties take awhile to cook so be patient with them. Start them early and keep them warm if you're planning on serving them all at the same time. I wilted the spinach and served the patties on top. The salad pictured is iceberg lettuce and nappa cabbage, with snacking cucumbers and tomatoes. Nappa cabbage is very yummy; goes well in salad. It doesn't have a flavor that's too strong.

To cook them just mix all the ingredients together and plop the patties onto a sprayed nonstick pan and let them cook. I got the recipe from my little T25 recipe book that came with my workouts.

Sidenote - - - if you want to buy it shoot me a comment and I'll get you my BeachBody coach's name so she can get credits. She'd love me forever. And yes, I plan on posting about T25 and exercise in a future post. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Super easy recipe. And quinoa is not hard to find. It's usually in the health food section. Bob's Red Mill brand sells it.  But if you have a health food store nearby you can find it there too.





HOORAY for Quinoa!
Personally, I love quinoa. Some people don't feel the same. But I think it's fantastic, and apparently other people do too; The Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has officially declared that the year 2013 be recognized as "The International Year of the Quinoa."  - taken from The World's Healthiest Foods website

Did you know?! That quinoa is not actually a grain. It's actually "a member of the same food family that contains spinach, Swiss chard, and beets."

Quinoa apparently does not oxidize as quickly as people might expect; it is higher in heart healthy fats but these fats are not broken down when the grain is cooked. It is also high in fiber.

Unlike most grains, quinoa is able to serve as a complete source of protein because it has two important amino acids which other grains do not. It also seems to help as an inflammatory; at least in animal studies. It would seem that the anti-inflammatory properties are more present when the grain is not soaked before cooking.

 It has more calcium than milk! Just more proof that you don't NEED to drink milk. And neither do your kids.

Ciara's Health Snippet of the day!
If you know me very well at all you may know that I love a good quote. Here's one by Ellen G. White who had much to say about our physical and spiritual health. 

“Never cheat the stomach out of that which health demands, and never abuse it by placing upon it a load which it should not bear. Cultivate self-control. Restrain appetite; keep it under the control of reason.”Counsels on Health, p. 156.

1 Corinthians 9:27 - But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.

Eating healthy and disciplining ourselves does not always come naturally. Especially when we are bombarded on all sides by the product-pushing media and fast food on every corner. It's NOT easy! I've been there. Sometimes we feel like it requires so much will power! But there is more to it than will power. Highly flavored and fatty foods actually act as drugs with addictive properties. "It changes our mood and it impacts on the chemicals and neurotransmitters in the brain in a similar way to alcohol, nicotine and cocaine..." Children especially "develop very strong learned preferences - junk food can become a psychological addiction". (Toxic Childhood by Sue Palmer)

So we really are fighting a battle here. But Galatians 5:16 says "But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh". If we ask God to help us grow and learn how to walk by the Spirit, He will follow through with His promise that we will not gratify the desires of flesh.


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Quinoa Patties
Ingredients:

3/4 cup Cooked Quinoa
1/2 medium red bell pepper, finely chopped
4 tsp. flaxseed (or chia seeds)
salt; to taste and pepper
1 large egg

Mix ingredients all together. Cook patties on a sprayed nonstick pan for about 2 minutes. (they take awhile to cook. I let mine cook longer to brown them well).

Serve on wilted or raw spinach.




Thank you to World's Healthiest Foods for all my great quinoa information!

They also have a great list of healthy recipes - click here!

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