For The Cure Quinoa

Today my two worlds collide. Mammography and food. Yes. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and I'm kicking it off with this delicious, pink, For The Cure Quinoa. Below you'll find some helpful links about breast cancer and it's relation to diet, as well as how to do a breast self exam. Also, you can see how you too can have some sexy hunks remind you to do a self breast exam and show you how. That's right. Oh my gosh, you guys, it's too exciting to handle. This post is rockin' my food/booby world. 

It is all part of my royal duty as a Mammographer. And now, I bring you For The Cure Quinoa! Beautiful, no?

This dish is colored pink by beautiful beets and packed with broccoli and kale, both are the top food fighters against breast cancer! For more on that please, please, please watch this video on the Breast Cancer Survival Vegetable.

And for more information on breast cancer and it's relationship to diet you can read this article, Breast Cancer and Diet. Both the video and the article are from Nutritionfacts.org. Of course I couldn't forget about my male readers. Men get breast cancer to, so check yo self  boys. Seriously. 

For The Cure Quinoa

Inspired by Carla's Confections

Serves 4 

• 3 small beets, peeled and quartered
• 1 cup dry quinoa, rinsed well
• 2 cups water
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/3 cup vegetable broth
• 1 head of broccoli florets, cut small
• 1 bunch of kale, chopped
• 3/4 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1 Tbsp. raw apple cider vinegar
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped
• 1/2 Tbsp. fresh thyme, chopped

Peel and quarter the beets. Place them in a large microwave safe dish with about a small amount of water. Just enough to barely cover the bottom. Don't make the mistake I did and put too much water in. You could end with a mess like this!

Cover the beets with a microwave safe plate and nuke for about 10 minutes or until you being to smell them. Then allow the beets to rest in the microwave, covered, until ready for use. 

Combine the quinoa and water in a large saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer, cover and allow to cook for about 15 minutes. Once done cooking, remove from heat and fluff with a fork. Set aside until ready to use. 

In a large frying pan, heat the oil over medium heat, then add the onions and garlic. Saute for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the onions begin to turn translucent.

Then, add in the vegetable broth as well as the broccoli and the kale. Allow to cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes or until the broccoli begins to just soften. Stir occasionally. 

Once the broccoli is tender and the kale has wilted, remove from heat. Get the cooked beets and dice them. Then add the beets, salt, pepper, vinegar and fresh herbs to the broccoli and kale mixture and stir well to combine.

Add in the quinoa and stir well to combine. Serve hot and garnished with additional herbs if you like.

Be sure to talk to your doctor if you're 40 or over about scheduling a mammogram. Also, don't forget to perform a breast self exam every month. Check out this great article on how to do a breast self exam.

If you need a reminder to do the breast self exam or just want some serious entertainment, watch this video of hunky men talking about the Your Man Reminder app that gives you monthly reminders and shows you how to do a breast self exam. Just watch it ladies. Trust me. Go do it right now. You'll regret it if you don't! I have the app, really, I do! I picked the bookish man...I know you had me pegged for the culinary man, but you're wrong. 

So make this quinoa, listen to Cher – Woman's World (like I am), do a self breast exam and if appropriate, schedule a clinical breast exam and mammogram. Do it for me, okay?

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Curried Ginger Cabbage with Cashews & Quinoa

I think I may be on a bit of a cashew streak. So if you don't like cashews, I apologize...also, who are you? Apparently there's a whole tribe of people hating on ginger, too. Oh, the horror! Vegan Yack Attack is one of said people. It's okay, Jackie, I forgive you and your ginger detestation. Anyways, this is one ginger, curry, and turmeric laden dish that's brimming with healthy goodness. With the addition of quinoa and cabbage, is there a healthier dish out there? Ginger and turmeric are both super anti-inflammatory and antioxidant powerhouses. For nutritional information on them click those links. And of course we all know that cabbage is super nutritious. It's in the cruciferous family of vegetables and is one of the best overall cancer fighting veggies. You could read the article "Antiproliferative and antioxidant activities of common vegetables: A comparative study" from the Journal of Food Chemistry (yes, there's a journal for that). Or, you could just watch this very informative video. Go watch! And learn.

Yep, paired up with protein rich quinoa, this makes one super healthy dish! Quinoa is a vegan source of complete protein which means it has an adequate proportion of all nine of the essential amino acids. Basically, eat your quinoa folks. It's better than eating parts of a cow.

This is one badass dish and look how cheerful the turmeric makes it. Ooooo. Aaahhh.

Curried Ginger Cabbage with Cashews & Quinoa

Inspired by Washington's Green Grocer

Serves 6

• 1 cup dry quinoa, rinsed well
• 2 cups water
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1/3 cup raw cashews
• 3 Tbsp. fresh ginger, minced finely
• 1 Tbsp. whole cumin seeds
• 1/2 green cabbage (about 1 1/2 - 2 lbs.), sliced thinly
• 1 tsp. ground turmeric 
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp. fresh ground pepper

Bring the quinoa and water together to a boil in a large saucepan. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer and cover. Allow to simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and fluff with a fork. 

Heat the oil in a super large frying pan or wok (the biggest you have!), then add the cashews, ginger, and cumin seeds. Saute for about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile slice up the cabbage and add it to to pan. This can be done in parts, if needed. The cabbage will shrink down though, I promise you. Also, my German's going well. Have you been to Duolingo yet? What! No? Do it, do it now. Put down the Candy Crush/Fruit Ninja/Angry Birds and go learn a language. 

 Add in the remaining ingredients also and stir well to combine. Allow the cabbage to cook for about 10-15 or until just tender.

Add the cooked quinoa to the cabbage mixture and stir well to combine. Serve hot! 

For fun, what am I listening to? Rachael Yamagata – Be Be Your Love

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