Blueberry Quinoa Pudding ~ Quinoa is such a versatile grain that you can make it as a first course or as a dessert.  My grandfather Pepe use to make cakes out of quinoa, among many other dishes, during a time in Peru when this grain was only fed to the chickens or eaten mainly by the Andean people in the mountains. Every years, Pepe made four cakes for my birthday, and we ate this one right after all the kids were done destroying the p...

This dish is curry heaven! It is nutritious, mild, filling and light and you can serve it as a one pot meal. Traditional Dahl would not have any grain in it, but I add quinoa to mine to make it a bit thicker and give it extra texture when you bite. As far as the lentils, you can soak them for 10 minutes or a few hours. If you know you want the lentils to cook quickly, then soak them a few hours and it cuts the cooking time almost by hal...

Summertime is great for quick cooling salads.  This one is full of protein and all the other good nutritional stuff that raw kale brings along.  If you can't find baby kale then you can substitute with spinach.  I added walnuts, raisins and grapes for a bit of sweet and crunch. Chickpea and Raw Baby Kale Salad I can of cooked chickpeas/garbanzo beans 2 cups of raw baby kale (you can substitute for spinach) 1/4 cup of c...

In one of my first posts I mentioned how much I love quinoa. In fact,  I love it so much that I try to incorporate it into many different dishes, including desserts.    This pudding is rich and creamy and  thickened with Kuzu Root Starch, which comes from a fibrous plant used in China for more than 2,000 year.  Kuzu is a great thickener and it is soothing to the stomach.  You can also think of this recipe as a great way to satisfy...

This delightful and easy soup is just right for those warm summer days.  In the photo below, I have garnished the soup with a  mango and corn salsa but you can top with most anything that strikes your fancy.  I find that thinly cut shallots are delicious with this soup.  Also, this soup is so rich that it works well as a main meal with maybe a bit of bread on the side. Chilled Avocado Cucumber Soup Two chilled ripe avocad...

I love making a nice cold pitcher of iced tea on a hot summer day.  It is the kind of drink that no one can really resist once they see the ice cubes swirling around lime wedges in a beautiful crystal jar...and with fresh mint on top!   This particular tea is made of rose tea and the light aftertaste of petals is very soothing and cooling.  And if you are so inclined, you can always use a spirit to spike things up! Iced Tea Wi...

This soda is healthy, sweet and delicious, especially on a warm summer day!  And you can make this with agave or calorie free with Stevia.   You can also make an even quicker soda with unsweetened cranberry juice by adding the sweetener to the juice first, stir, and then add the ice and the seltzer water. Quick Homemade Strawberry Soda 3 cups of frozen strawberries Selter or sparkling water  (I prefer seltzer with no sod...

These cookies are technically flourless since one of the main ingredient besides peanut butter are ground almonds.  You can buy these in flour form, which just means exactly: ground blanched almonds. Bob's Mill makes a reasonably priced bag found at most natural food markets such as Whole Foods. The blackstrap molasses in this recipe add calcium and iron and combined with the almonds, you have a super power cookie. Peanut Butte...

This recipe is only a variation of many a grilled panini that one can make.  For this recipe I have used a panini machine, which I bought for about $50 on amazon.  It is a luxurious thing to be able to whip up a hot sandwich anytime!  The key to this sandwich is lightly coating both sides of the bread with either Earth Balance spread, or my new favorite spread which is made from coconut oil.  The coconut give is a special sweet and ...

I Love creamy sweet things.  This pudding is a chocolate kiss in your mouth, sweet and irresistible and awesome for a spring/summer treat.  And my toddler loves it too!  You can substitute the coconut milk with any non-dairy milk that suits you best.  The coconut milk just gives it extra richness.  See two photos of pudding: first one shows the pudding after it has set in the refrigerator, and the second depicts how the pudding loo...