Quinoa-Stuffed Peppers

From Vegetarian Times



This dish freezes well for future meals. Quinoa provides whole-grain goodness and a serving of protein.

Serves 8

Ingredients:

• 1 medium onion, finely chopped (1 cup)
• 2 Tbs. olive oil
• 2 ribs celery, finely chopped (1/2 cup)
• 1 Tbs. ground cumin
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp.)
• 1 10-oz. pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
• 2 15-oz. cans diced tomatoes, drained, liquid reserved
• 1 15-oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 3/4 cup quinoa
• 3 large carrots, grated (11/2 cups)
• 11/2 cups grated Vegan pepper Jack cheese, divided
• 4 large red bell peppers, halved lengthwise, ribs removed

Directions:

1. Heat oil in saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and celery, and cook 5 minutes, or until soft. Add cumin and garlic, and sauté 1 minute. Stir in spinach and drained tomatoes. Cook 5 minutes, or until most of liquid has evaporated.

2. Stir in black beans, quinoa, carrots, and 2 cups water. Cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 20 minutes, or until quinoa is tender. Stir in 1 cup cheese. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.

3. Preheat oven to 350°F. Pour liquid from tomatoes in bottom of baking dish.

4. Fill each bell pepper half with heaping 3/4-cup quinoa mixture, and place in baking dish. Cover with foil, and bake 1 hour. Uncover, and sprinkle each pepper with 1 Tbs. remaining cheese. Bake 15 minutes more, or until tops of stuffed peppers are browned. Let stand 5 minutes. Transfer stuffed peppers to serving plates, and drizzle each with pan juices before serving.

Nutritional Information:

Per :

Calories	279
Protein	14g
Total fat	10g
Saturated fat	3g
Carbs	36g
Cholesterol	15mg
Sodium	518mg
Fiber	10g
Sugars	9g

VeganYumYum

Vegan Yum Yum's blog has had me drooling for a few years now. Her recipes and photos are amazing and will delight even the biggest meat eater around.

VeganYumYum just came out with a cookbook which I'm hoping to get my hands on very soon.

In the meantime, I'll take the free recipes she is posting on her blog.

Here is one to tempt y'all as well.

Hurry Up Alfredo

from VeganYumYum

Makes 2-3 Servings

1 Cup Soymilk
1/3 Cup Raw, Unsalted Cashews
1/4 Cup Nutritional Yeast
3 Tbs Low-Sodium Tamari or Soy Sauce
2 Tbs Earth Balance Margarine
1 Tbs Tahini
1 Tbs Fresh Lemon Juice
2 tsp Dijon Mustard
1/2 tsp Paprika (smoked is awesome)
1 Pinch Nutmeg
2-4 Cloves of Garlic, optional
Black pepper, to taste

Add all the ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth. This may work best in a high-speed blender (like a Vita-Mix), but you can definitely make it in a regular blender. Just blend extra-long, or perhaps strain if if you want it perfectly smooth. Tiny bits of cashews won’t hurt anyone though!

If you’re making this sauce for pasta, drain the pasta and return it to the hot empty pan. Pour the sauce over, place on medium heat, and stir until heated through. Serve with lots of fresh cracked black pepper. I love it with steamed broccoli added in!

Savory Thai Stew

I love Thailand. After spending over 2 years there as a Peace Corps volunteer I really learned to love the people, culture and food. I made it my mission to spend lots of time in the kitchen learning authentic Thai food. While the recipe I'm going to share is not authentic (Thai people never use peanut butter in their food), it is yummy none the less.

Enjoy this savory dish from VegNews!

Savory Thai Stew
Serves 6

What You Need:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, quartered and thinly sliced
4 to 6 cloves garlic, minced
3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
3 cups water
1 medium green or red bell pepper, cut into narrow strips
1-1/2 cups frozen green beans
1/2 teaspoon red or green curry paste
1 tablespoon natural granulated sugar
2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
2 stalks lemongrass
One 13.5-ounce can light coconut milk
2 tablespoons natural peanut butter
Salt to taste

What You Do:

1. In a soup pot over medium-low heat, heat the oil. Add onion and sauté until translucent. Add garlic and continue to sauté until both are golden. Add sweet potatoes and water. Bring to a rapid simmer, then lower the heat. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are about half done.

2. Add bell pepper, green beans, curry paste, sugar, and ginger. Cut each lemongrass stalk into 3 or 4 pieces, and bruise by making long cuts throughout with a sharp knife. Stir into the soup pot. Simmer stew for 10 minutes longer.

3. Stir in the coconut milk, peanut butter, and salt. Return to a simmer, then cook over very low heat for another 10 minutes or until all the vegetables are tender and the flavors are well integrated. Remove lemongrass pieces. Taste to adjust seasonings, and serve at once.

Good posture.

Do you sometimes catch yourself slumping in your chair? I do. I work at a desk from my home office, and I often finish the day with a knots in my shoulders and pain in my back. My chair is so comfortable that I often relax in it so much that I'm basically slumping over my desk. This can't be good.

Recently while at a doctor's visit I noticed my doctor had this thing on her chair. She always has the best posture. I took a picture on my iPhone (love that sucker for memory help later) and looked the product up online. I found the Dynadisc on Amazon and read up about it. "While remaining in the safety of your chair, you can experience many of the same benefits of a gymball for performing lower back, trunk mobility, pelvic stabilization and weight shift exercises. The Dyna-Disc is perfect for seniors, students or anyone AND it can be stood on for lower extremity balance training. It is ideal for use at home, in the office or even at a ball game."

I didn't plan on using my dynadisc for exercise, but for help with my posture just like my doctor. Sitting on this actually forces you to sit up straight, and if I am getting exercise done while sitting that is always a plus as well!

Today is Day 1 with the Dynadisc and so far no big shoulder knots to speak of.

I could still use a massage though!