Crock-pot Quinoa Stew
Posted: May 17, 2012 Filed under: Crock-pot, Thoughts | Tags: Basil, Black Beans, Black pepper, Celery, chili powder, Cumin, Garlic, green pepper, Inspiration, kidney beans, Olive oil, Paprika, Quinoa, Red Pepper, red pepper flakes, soy sauce, Tomato Sauce 4 Comments »FOOD
I love healthy food but I don’t want to spend all day in the kitchen preparing it so when I come across a crock-pot recipe with nutritious ingredients, I get a little excited. :)
*This recipe may look like it has a lot of ingredients but most of its seasonings which makes this dish DELISH!
Quinoa Stew
Ingredients
1-tablespoon olive oil
3-4 garlic cloves, pressed
2 handfuls of chopped up celery
2 handfuls of chopped up mushrooms (any kind is fine)
1 red or green pepper (or half of each), diced
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½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1-teaspoon cumin powder
1-teaspoon paprika
1-teaspoon dried basil
¼ teaspoon chili powder
1-tablespoon soy sauce (low sodium)
Black pepper to taste
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½ cup uncooked quinoa
3 cups of water
8 ounce unsalted tomato sauce
1 can (15 ounce) kidney beans (drained and rinsed)
1 can (15 ounce) black beans (drained and rinsed)
Directions
- Sauté garlic, celery, mushrooms and pepper in oil for 10 minutes on medium.
- Add spices, herbs and soy sauce to mixture and stir in for a few minutes.
- Combine water, tomato sauce, quinoa and beans in a large crock-pot.
- Add mixture from step number one. Stir.
- Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours.
*If you like it hotter (sounds a little personal) add more chili powder or red pepper flakes.
This recipe has been revised from original.
INSPIRATION
The he said/she said soup
Posted: March 29, 2012 Filed under: Soup | Tags: Black pepper, Lemon juice, Lentils, red pepper flakes, Sea salt, Spinach, Vegetable broth 2 Comments »My husband loves this soup. Me, not so much. But that doesn’t mean it’s not good. I just need more zing, pizzazz or maybe more substance. I don’t know. You may love it, you may hate it. Either way, let me know what you think.
INGREDIENTS
1 cup lentils (rinsed)
4 cups organic vegetable broth
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Juice of one lemon
Sea salt and black pepper
Spinach leaves
DIRECTIONS
Place lentils, broth and red pepper flakes in pot. Bring to a boil and immediately reduce heat to simmer. Simmer covered, stirring occasionally, until lentils are soft (about 30 minutes, depending how soft you like your lentils.) Add more broth if soup seems to thick. Add lemon juice and spinach just before serving. Taste and adjust seasonings with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.
A great marriage is not when the ‘perfect couple’ come together. It is when an imperfect couple learns to enjoy their differences.
– Dave Meurer
Picture: In Georgia, 2003.
Recipe: Spark People. I’ve slightly revised it.
Cuban Black Beans, Rice and Shrimp
Posted: February 26, 2012 Filed under: Crock-pot, My own recipe creations | Tags: Black Beans, Brown Rice, Crock-pot, Cumin, Garlic, Lime Juice, red pepper flakes, Slow-cooker 2 Comments »ALERT: SPICY SLOW COOKER RECIPE
Proceed with caution 
INGREDIENTS
4 cups vegetable broth (low sodium)
1 and 1/2 cups uncooked brown rice
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 cans (15 ounces each) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (6 ounce) already peeled, cooked shrimp (de-thawed)
1 tablespoon lime juice
DIRECTIONS
Place broth, rice, red pepper flakes, garlic, cumin and salt in slow cooker; mix well. Cover and cook on LOW for 5-7 hours (depends on your crock-pot) or until rice is tender.
Stir in beans shrimp and lime juice. Cover and cook 20-30 minutes or until heated through.
ENJOY! :)
My Grocery List 2012
Posted: February 19, 2012 Filed under: START HERE | Tags: Grocery List, natural peanut butter, raw cashews, red bell peppers, red pepper flakes, Reusable bags, reusable grocery bags, Shopping 3 Comments »Per request, I’m posting my master grocery list. I’m not suggesting you go out and buy this stuff but it gives you an idea of what my husband and I eat on a daily basis. We try to buy organic when possible and I prefer to make my own peanut butter when I have time. Otherwise, I use a natural peanut butter. I always look for the lowest sodium products and rinse thoroughly before using most canned foods. I buy gluten-free except for a few items that my husband prefers. We are living overseas (only 6.5 more months) so we are limited on our choices. I grocery shop once a week (on average) and occasionally I try to stretch it out to one and 1/2 weeks. :) I always print out my list and mark off what I don’t need that week. Save’s time and money. Last but not least, I take my reusable grocery bags.
| VEGGIES | FRUIT | GRAINS | CANNED |
| Garlic | Bananas | Quinoa | Black Beans |
| Mushrooms | Apple | Wild Rice | Garbanzo Beans |
| Portobello Mushrooms | Pears | Brown Rice | Kidney Beans |
| Broccoli | Avocado | Raw Olives | |
| Cucumber | Plums | Red Pepper | |
| Celery | Tomato Sauce (no salt added) | ||
| Onion | Tomato Paste | ||
| Sweet Potatoes | Organic Vegetable Broth | ||
| Red Bell peppers | Salsa | ||
| Tomatoes | Mexican corn | ||
| Spinach | Almond butter | ||
| Romaine Lettuce | |||
| SPICES & SUCH | FROZEN | SNACKS | NUTS |
| Raw | |||
| Garlic Powder | Blueberries | KIND bars | Almonds |
| Dill Weed | Sweet Cheeries | Dark Chocolate | Walnuts |
| Cumin | Carrots | Pumpkin Seeds | Cashews |
| Curry | Asparagus | Sunflower seeds | |
| Chili Powder | Blue Tortilla Chips | ||
| Red Pepper Flakes | Mary’s Gone Crackers | ||
| Mrs. Dash assortment | |||
| Cinnamon | |||
| Sea Salt | |||
| Pepper | |||
| Tahini | |||
| Balsamic Vinegar | |||
| Rice Vinegar | |||
| Apple Cider Vinegar | |||
| Pomengrate Vinegar | |||
| Low Sodium Soy Sauce | |||
| Olive Oil | |||
| Coconut Oil | |||
| Dijon Mustard | |||
| Agave | |||
| Brown Sugar | |||
| Vanilla Extract | |||
| MISC. |
| Dried Black Beans |
| Lentils |
| Corn Taco Shells |
| Corn Tortilla Shells |
| Almond Milk |
| Rice Milk |
| Nutritional Yeast |
| Flaxseed |
