About Me and This Blog

I've been a vegetarian for almost six years now. For the first four years, I was a pescetarian (I ate fish). These days, I lean towards veganism and am very passionate about animal rights and welfare. Before going veg, I ate A LOT of meat. In fact, I had a bumper sticker on my first car that read "If we're not supposed to eat animals, then why do they taste so good?" Yeah, I was that person. I loved cooking meat, now I love cooking vegetarian EVEN MORE.

I post a lot of stories about animals and veggie food on facebook, and friends started asking me for recipes and more information on how to be a healthy vegetarian. This blog is my answer to those questions. Most if not all of the recipes can be made vegan by omitting cheese or subbing with vegan "cheese". Email me anytime.

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Kale and Quinoa Pilaf

Another lapse between posts! Things are good around here, my little herb garden has already started sprouting, our RocketPrincess is growing like a weed and we are heading to Seattle this weekend to see some friends!  In an effort to shed the pregnancy weight, I've been trying to eat a little better (certainly better than I did during pregnancy...a lot of cake was eaten) and with a little one and the expenses that came with a baby, buying a home and being on maternity leave, we've done almost all our cooking here - no more take out for us! 

This recipe, believe it or not, was picked out last week because we had all the ingredients in-house and we wanted to use up some kale.  Well WOW.  It was unbelievably good - so much better than I expected. My personal thought is that the ginger is the key, but the whole thing was delicious, and well-rounded, nutrition-wise.  In fact, it was SO good that I soaked some beans last night and we're having this for dinner again tonight!

Can take no credit for this one - this is from Cooking Light :)

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/kale-quinoa-pilaf-10000000226297/

2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup thinly sliced carrot
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon chili paste with garlic
1/2 teaspoon grated peeled fresh ginger
6 cups torn kale
2 cups cooked brown rice
1 cup cooked quinoa
2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, bell pepper, and garlic; sauté 2 minutes. Add curry, chili paste, and ginger; sauté 1 minute. Add remaining ingredients; cook 3 minutes or until thoroughly heated, stirring occasionally. Serve at room temperature.