Antioxidant Warm Quinoa Bowl Recipe

When was the last time you really looked at what's on your dinner plate? Take a close look. Has everything been manufactured -- come from a factory, cooked to death, refined, stripped of nutrients, then fortified with synthetic vitamins and then worse, drowned in preservatives and additives. This is now dead, lifeless food. You will notice it is dull and drab looking too -- do you want to look like this? Of course not!

Real food, particularly raw food is bursting with enzymes, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and a plethora of beautiful colours. These are the foods that you going to make you THRIVE, not just survive, inside and out.

I am not a raw foodist but what I do recommend is you eat real live whole food every single day. Some of the benefits I have seen both with myself and my clients are: glowing skin, thicker shinier hair, better bowel movements, mental clarity, greater happiness, blood sugar balanced, lowered cholesterol, lowered blood pressure and more.

If you haven't already jumped on the quinoa bandwagon, I encourage you to do so! Quinoa is a nutritional powerhouse and if you want to learn more please read this post I wrote for Aol's That's Fit: Quinoa 101. It is the only cooked item in this recipe I'm going to share with you today.

I fully enjoy the challenge of whipping up a lunch-time healthy meal when it seems like my fridge is empty. Which is precisely what I did and it turned out fabulous, bursting with veggies rich in antioxidants and flavourful - all this in one big beautifying bowl of deliciousness. Here's my recipe for this antioxidant-rich warm quinoa bowl:

Ingredients:

1/2 cup quinoa (rinsed)

1 cup water

Half cucumber or zucchini, chopped

Orange pepper, chopped (or depending on season, 1 sweet potato steamed or roasted)

4 large kale leaves, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

1/2 red onion, diced

1 avocado, cubed

Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)

Balsamic vinegar

Sea salt, pepper

Method: Cook the quinoa ahead of time. I usually cook a big batch once a week so I have it on hand in my fridge. Quinoa cooks like rice, 1 part quinoa and 2 parts water. Bring the water to a boil with the quinoa in it, reduce heat to low and let cook for 12-15 minutes with a lid on your pot, stirring occasionally.

Place your all your chopped veggies into a big bowl and toss together with the cooked quinoa. Add the dressing last and don't be shy with the EVOO, create the salad to match your tastebuds. Serves 2-4.

EnJOY!