"We had the sky, up there, all speckled with stars, and we used to lay on our backs and look up at them, and discuss about whether they was made, or only just happened."
~Mark Twain's, Huckleberry Finn
The saponins in quinoa are used as an antiseptic in South America.
Benefits:
Quinoa is an ancient grain-like seed with many health benefits, making it a "superfood".
Carbs:
Quinoa is a complex carbohydrate with a low glycemic index, so it won't spike your blood sugar.
Delicious: Quinoa is a delicious whole grain alternative! Try it... You'll love it! Edible: Quinoa leaves are edible, tasting something like Chard. Funny: Quinoa has a funny pronunciation: 'keen-wah'. Go ahead... Impress and annoy your friends! Gluten: Quinoa is gluten-free! Healthfood: Today quinoa can be found both IN and OUT of the healthfood aisle! the letter I: Quinoa is Intriguing, Inspiring, and Idyllic. Jars: Quinoa looks pretty on your counter topin a glass jar. the letter K: The 'Q' sounds like a 'K'... kay? Lower: Quinoa is the whitest and the sweetest tasting when grown above 12,500
feet. Grown at lower elevations, it is more bittersweet in
taste. Mountainous: More than 200,000 pounds are grown each year in the Rocky Mountains. Nutritious: Quionoa is HIGHLY nutritious, and has more protein than rice, millet or wheat! Only 172 calories: ...per 1/4 cup dry quinoa! That's 24calories from protein only 12 from sugars, and the rest are complex carbohydrates, fiber and
healthy fats. Powerfood: Quinoa is a real powerfood! Quinoa: ...of course! Riboflavin: Riboflavin has been shown to help reduce the frequency of migraines, and is critical to the breakdown of carbs, fats and proteins into energy. Saponin: Quinoa, though highly nutritious, is coated with saponin, which is toxic when injested. Bob's (Organic) Red Mill Quinoa is the brand I trust. Their product has been "thoroughly rinsed and air dried to remove the naturally occurring bitter saponins". Tasty: What are you waiting for? Trust me... it's good. Ubiquitous: Good news travels fast! What's a few centuries? The Incans knew to eat the quinoa seeds for more stamina and a quicker recovery time. Today, quinoa is sold in most grocery stores. Variety: Quinoa comes in light yellow, red or black variety. The taste is said to be a subtle difference between them. The darker the seed, the earthier the taste. Wonderful: What else can I say? Xanadu: Oh yes! I said, Xanadu. Years: ...5,000 to be exact. That's how many years those Incans in South America grew quinoa up in the high altitude of the Andes. Zombie: I don't know... Don't be the walking dead. Eat Quinoa! Scarlett's 'Keen-wah'Delish 3 uncooked chicken breasts, cut into small strips 3 cups of mixed vegetables (I used Birdseye Normandy Blend) 1 Tbsp. Olive Oil 2Tbsp. Coconut Oil 2 tsp. Garlic Salt 2 tsp. Table Salt 1 cup of uncooked Quinoa 2 oz. Grated Parmesan Cheese 2 tsp. Mrs. Dash Original Seasoning Blend Stir-fry your veggies in the coconut oil, 1 tsp. table salt and the Mrs. Dash to desired tenderness. Cut thawed chicken into small strips and stir-fry in the olive oil and garlic salt till no longer pink. Prepare the Quinoa according to package directions. (I use Bob's Red Mill Organic Quinoa... pre-rinsed.) After it's cooked, add parmesan and 1 tsp. table salt to the quinoa. Combine veggies, chicken, and quinoa. Enjoy! *** You want reviews? How 'bout, "Keen-wah, Baby!ヅ
How 'bout You? Have a recipe you want to share on *I Cook Barefooted!*? Show some Barefoot Love and...
Send it here: scarlettcolleen@yahoo.com Want to include a photo? Fun!
What's on your table?
“Do not be too timid
and squeamish about your actions.
For several months now I've been pretty quiet here in this space; not knowing how to speak of Life's Inspirational Valiant Endeavors. Not a clue where to begin. And so I've done simply what my spirit and my body have encouraged me to do... Just be. We go about the business of livingcaring for our children, our homes, our careers, ourselves. And when change happens, we adjust. Well, hopefully we adjust. Our only other option is to wither away... and that is not living.
This past October my childhood fantasies brutally clashed with reality. In one surreal moment, I learned that my dad had taken his own life. There would be no last great rumble with a man-eating bear in the wilds of Alaska, nor would the ocean swallow him up and spit him out onto a tropical island somewhere to live out his days as a castaway, an adventurer, a man among men.That was my dad, after all... Robinson Crusoe. Bigger than life! As a kid, the myth was just easier to live with. Reality was too... well, too real.
The reality was my father suffered his entire life with, what I believe was, undiagnosed Bipolar Disorder. As anyone who's lived with a family member who has this disease knows ~ If one suffers, all suffer. I don't know firsthand how medication or therapy might have worked for my dad. Though he absolutely knew he was suffering from severe depression throughout his life, he refused to acknowledge that he had a problem he couldn't fix on his own. His life choice tore apart, piece by piece, what he might have held onto with those he loved; and ultimately even the relationship with his children. I loved my dad dearly, but if I've learned anything from my experience it is that misery loves company, and to save a drowning victim you lend a hand, most certainly your pride... but not your life by jumping into deep water after them, no matter how desperately one wishes to do so. My own happiness rode on my discovery that I am worth more than that.
My dad was life in fast forward; always searching for that one thing that would make him feel more alive and less alone with his own thoughts. His journey was ripe with enthusiasm, adventure, a passion for spirituality, and... an overwhelming fear of loneliness and boredom. Though painful at times, I am incredibly thankful for the love he was willing to share with me. There are some lessons in this life, whether we think we needed them or not, that are simply too precious to ignore.
I joined my brother on a mountaintop in Colorado just before Christmas to spread our dad's ashes among three pines in a sunbeam. Saying good-bye wasn't the hardest part for me. It was heading back down that mountain. That last step in the grieving process doesn't come easy. I guess that's where I am now... trying to find acceptance. Let me just say, it sucks. Everything is not alright. Opportunity is missing. But I know from experience that that too will change. I no longer have the luxury of debating whether or not I should try again with my dad. What's done is done. The question I ask myself now is, Was I true to myself, as only I can be? And that my friends is a path wemust all eventually take.
*Don't give up on yourself*
"In
the path of our happiness shall we find the learning for which we have chosen
this lifetime." ~ Richard Bach, Illusions
