Lunch at Cafe Gratitude. ..just because I need to be reminded of what I’m thankful for. “I Am Bonita” (I love the name!) brown rice and quinoa with black beans, salsa fresca, avocado and nacho cheese topped with pumpkin seeds served with organic corn tortillas and a splash of lime.
“I Am Grace” Coconut milk, almond butter, date and vanilla bean smoothie with a shot of cacao. Cafe Gratitude, Larchmont Village.
I’m grateful for this organic strawberry layer shortcake!! Cafe Gratitude, Larchmont Village.
Today I decided to have a nice solo lunch at CRU, a raw-foods, vegan restaurant in Silver Lake. I got to sit down and watch skinny vegan hipsters walk around with their skinny bearded boyfriends while I sipped on an ice cold blood orange drink sweetend with agave nectar. Here is their surprisingly yummy Pad Thai (crunchy raw kelp noodles tossed with a sweet and nutty almond chili sauce, thinly sliced cucumbers, carrots, sprouts, cilantro, chopped cashews, and pumpkin seed chorizo)
Looks like the real thing, but doesn’t taste like the real thing. Here’s my pepper “steak” burger.
Had a late lunch with my newly-vegan sister-in-law. She introduced me to a vegan restaurant in Pasadena. These are the yummy spring rolls.
Quinoa, corn, black bean & red pepper salad: the recipe
Last week, I couldn’t believe how much junk The Man and I ate. It was disgusting (at one point, I have to admit, we went to three different fast food places in one day! AGGGGH!) Then, last night, guilt-stricken, I watched the first part of an eye-opening documentary, “Forks Over Knives” (I’ll finish the rest tonight), which my meat-loving sister-in-law recommended. She actually turned vegan after watching it. It really did make a lot of sense, and I was inspired to include more plant-based foods into my diet.
So today I made this beautiful and colorful quinoa salad. Quinoa is a nutty grain from South America and its flavor really comes out in this dish. The addition of black beans makes this a pretty complete meal, I would say. I didn’t even miss the meat! (Although it would be a nice side to some grilled chicken or carne asada!)
Anyway, enjoy…and I hope you also get inspired to take care of yourselves and eat more healthfully.
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
- 3/4 cup uncooked quinoa
- 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 red bell pepper, roasted and chopped
- 1 cup corn kernels
- 2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Directions
- Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic, and saute until lightly browned.
- Mix quinoa into the saucepan and cover with vegetable broth. Season with cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes,
- Stir roasted red bell pepper and corn into the saucepan, and continue to simmer about 5 minutes until heated through. Mix in the black beans and cilantro.
Trying to clean up my dirty eating habits..here I made a flavorful, fulfilling, vegan-friendly salad: organic quinoa, black beans, corn and fire-roasted red bell peppers. I LOVE the pops of color too!
