FitSugar

A Reader Recipe: Vegetarian Quinoa and Beans With Veggies

Fit Community — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 00:03:53 PST

Here's a fast and filling vegetarian meal from reader prepel. She posted this quinoa and beans recipe in our Healthy Recipe group.

A quick, healthy and filling vegan dish that even meat lovers will adore!

Read on for the recipe.

A Reader Recipe: Quinoa-Stuffed Peppers

Fit Community — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 02:54:21 PST

We love how a trip to the gym inspired reader pvhike to make this quinoa-stuffed peppers recipe and post it in our Healthy Recipe group.

Watching Rachael Ray while on the elliptical at the gym, I was inspired (and had an intense craving) to make stuffed bell peppers. She said they could be stuffed with anything, so I opted for quinoa, which is one of my new favorites. I also added some sauteed chopped crimini mushrooms, shallots and kale. This was an easy, great cook ahead dish for the busy workweek.

Read on for the recipe.

Green Curry and Quinoa

Yum Community — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 03:07:32 PDT

Kick-start your week with a healthy quinoa recipe courtesy of reader CheesePlease.

Love Quinoa? Try using it in a Thai-style green curry! Quinoa is more sophisticated than brown rice and nicely balances the savory flavors of the coconut milk-based curry.

You can find the recipe to the curry on her blog. If you've made a delicious vegetarian dish recently, share it with us in the YumSugar Community!

Quinoa Salad: Make It Now, Enjoy It Later

Katie Sweeney — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 14:37:35 PDT

Sunday afternoons are a great time to prepare meals for the week. You can make a big batch of pasta or salad and eat it for lunch in the days to come. This weekend, why not put together this easy and delicious quinoa salad? It's packed with colorful vegetables and is super flavorful thanks to a simple mint-orange vinaigrette. Feel free to use the recipe as a guide and substitute in your favorite fruits and vegetables. Keep reading for the vegan recipe.

Brain-Boosting Breakfast: Jessica Seinfeld's Protein-Packed Alternative to Oatmeal

Rebecca M Gruber — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 06:15:17 PDT

Our mouthwatering Brain-Boosting Breakfast series continues with celebrity chefs and restaurateurs creating healthy, brain-boosting breakfast ideas to help keep kids going throughout the day.
Quinoa has moved from quirky health food to pantry staple over the past few years. The gluten-free complex carb is packed with iron, fiber, calcium, and magnesium, but it's quinoa's rice-like texture that makes it a tot-friendly grain. Leave it to Jessica Seinfeld to find a way to work nutritionists' favorite grain into a breakfast recipe. The children's cookbook author (who's currently working on her third cookbook) and mother of three has perfected the art of transforming everyday favorites into kiddie health foods with the addition of vegetable purees and superfood ingredients.

For our Brain-Boosting Breakfast series, Jessica shares a cinnamon-maple quinoa recipe, saying, " I pre-make quinoa and store in the fridge to have on hand to use for breakfasts, lunches, and dinner. This quinoa breakfast is a protein-packed option for the whole family and makes for a nice change from oatmeal or cold cereal."

Keep reading for Jessica Seinfeld's recipe for cinnamon-maple quinoa.

Pump Up the Nutrition of Quinoa: Add These Foods

Jenny Sugar — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 10:02:38 PDT

Bursting with protein - eight grams for one cup of cooked - quinoa is a super grain. High in folate and magnesium, this fluffy, easily digested grain also provides five grams in one cup.

Just like mildly flavored tofu, quinoa absorbs the flavors around it, so it pairs well with just about anything. Although super healthy on its own, here are some ways you can up the nutritional value while adding interesting flavor and texture.

Before cooking, mix dry quinoa with another grain such as millet, barley, or Arborio rice. The result is a very different taste and texture, plus you get the added nutritional goodness of the other whole grain.
Cook quinoa with miso to add a bit of extra protein and a burst of essential B12. Just mix miso paste into the cooking water before adding uncooked grain.

If you love quinoa, keep reading for others ways to make it even healthier.

Yummy Links: From Quinoa to Onion Crunch

YumSugar — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 10:33:03 PDT

What the heck is quinoa, anyway? - Kitchen Daily
The winner of America's Next Great Restaurant has shuttered two locations. - Eater
10 international dishes to go with June's climbing temperatures. - TLC
New food columnist David Tanis talks cooking with cannellinis. - New York Times
Why America's food is much safer than you might think. - Grub Street NY
Father's Day must make: New York steaks with martini butter. - Fine Cooking
Unique ways to keep your kitchen cool this Summer. - The FN Dish
Meet Onion Crunch, soon to be your hot dog's new best friend. - Food Republic

Got the Brown Rice Blahs? 5 Nutritious Alternatives

Leta Shy — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 13:34:13 PDT

My go-to weeknight meal often features a side of brown rice. It's versatile and more nutritious than white rice and is easy to throw in a rice cooker or boil away on the stove while I'm preparing the main course.

But sometimes a dinner calls for a few other nutritional powerhouses. The next time you find yourself in the mood for something that can cook quickly in boiling water, try these alternatives instead - they're just as easy to cook and packed with even more nutrients!

A Reader Recipe: Chard, Avocado, Asparagus Quinoa

Fit Community — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 01:33:08 PDT

How good does this quinoa dish look from FitSugar reader lauren? She posted her recipe in the Healthy Recipe community group.

After seeing FitSugar's recent post about vegan avocado dishes, I kept thinking about a recent dinner I made. It was more of a fluke since I was just using everything in my fridge, but to my surprise the resulting dish is delicious! It was pretty easy to make and even better the next day, when I took it to work for lunch. I waited for everything to cool since I wasn't in the mood for a hot meal but I imagine warm would be just as good! Next time, I will add some fresh herbs too like basil.

Find out how to make the recipe when you read more!

Yummy Links: From Ramen to Quinoa

YumSugar — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 11:00:23 PDT

30 amazing and easy ways to upgrade ramen noodles. - Serious Eats
The author of Modernist Cuisine attempts to translate his food to the masses on The Today Show. - Grub Street NY
20 recipes for vegan comfort food. - Chow
Bill Buford's book Heat about working the line in Mario Batali's kitchens is becoming a movie. - Eater
How Jay-Z changed one Champagne house forever. - The Atlantic
Fast and easy dinner idea: salmon with couscous. - The Kitchn
San Jose, CA, is the latest city to get its very own food truck festival. - The Feast SF
What's so great about quinoa anyway? - Huffington Post Food