Quinoa, with Black Beans , Cherry Tomatoes and Peas

Today's lunch was very fast and delicious. Quinoa is one of my favorite foods, grain-like but not a grain , has a delicious nutty flavor and usually I have a good amount of quinoa leftover. I love the possibility that it can be mixed with a variety of ingredients. 

So, for today's lunch I made a fast, simple and delicious salad.  I tossed a can of organic Black Beans and Peas into my 2 cups of quinoa leftover  some garden fresh halved cherry tomatoes. Season with lime juice, turmeric, fresh cracked black pepper and serve room temperature. Enjoy!

Zucchini Noddles with creamy Avocado- Basil sauce

I love Zucchini, and I love to make Zucchini Noodles with my Vegetable Spiralizer machine. It turns zucchini into fun curly shapes, shoestrings and vegetable noodles , great way to add new texture to pasta dishes.

Avocados, I love them too. They are perfect for making a creamy sauce, add lot of flavor and healthy fats, turning the Zucchini Pasta a very substancial meal.

How to make this dish so creamy? Very simple and fast! All you need is a ripe avocado, fresh basil leaves, garlic , lemon juice and olive oil. Combine all these ingredients into a food processor and processing until smooth. Add salt and some crushed black pepper or your favorite seasonings.

The zucchini noodles can be made Raw or Cooked.

-To make it Raw just place the zucchini noodles in a large bowl and toss the avocado-basil sauce.

-To cook the Noodles, melt coconut or olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the zucchini and cook for 2 minutes. Add the sauce and toss with the noodles to coat. Cook for another 2-3 minutes or until heated through, then sever immediately with shrimp or you can really use any thing you'd like.


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Baked Spaghetti Squash

Spaghetti squash has become wildly popular lately as a low-carb option to replace spaghetti noodles.Very easy process to transform squash into tender tangles of spaghetti. No spiralizers or any special tools are required.
To prepare squash, start by washing it off and drying it.

Instructions:

- Preheat the oven to 400F while you prepare the squash
- Slice the squash in half: the next step is cutting it in half lenghwise. before cutting. Spaghetti squash are really tough and hard, if it's too hard to cut, try microwaving it for a minute or two. or boiling it for five minutes. Let it cool and try to cut it.
-Scoop out the seeds: once you have cut the squash in half and scooped out the seeds with a spoon . 

- Seasoning before bake- brush the halves with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and season generously with salt and black pepper.

-Place the squash in a roasting pan: Place the squash halves cut-side down in a roasting pan.
-Cook the squash for 45 to 60 minutes: Transfer the squash to the oven and cook for 45 to 6O minutes. Smaller squash will cook more quickly than larger squash. Check the squash after 30 minutes.
-The squash is cooked when tender: The squash is ready when you can easily pierce a fork through the flesh all the way to the peel. The flesh will also separate easily into spaghetti-like strands. If the noodles are still a bit crunchy for your taste, put the squash back in the oven for another 10 to 15 minutes.

- Scrape out the squash: Use a fork to rake gently the squash flesh from the peel. If you want to make long noodles rake in the same direction. 

- Serve the squash: Serve the squash immediately.

Colorful Protein Salad

Simple, nutritious and delicious salad. 

                                          Ingredients:

Cooked Quinoa
Cooked Lentils
Broccoli Florets
Mini Sweet Peppers
Pine Nuts
Olive Oil
Salt
Fresh lime juice
Black Pepper 

Just mix everything, add the amount of each ingredient according to your taste. This very simple, nutritious and delicious salad is a powerhouse of goodness, the veggies stay raw and the quinoa, lentils and pine nuts add the protein on it.

Quinoa: Red or White, which one is healthier?

The super-versatile gluten-free, Quinoa ( pronounced KEEN-wah, not kwin-OH-ah), is available in different colors, but the most commercialized types are white and red. Although they are the same grain, there are slight nutritional differences between red and white quinoa. We cook and eat quinoa like many other grains, but, botanically speaking, the part we eat is actually the seed.

                                                                      Alain Jocard/AFT/Getty

                                White Quinoa

White quinoa, actually a bit more tan than white, is the most widely-available in stores. Compared to wheat or rice, quinoa is a better source of protein, has all the essencial amino acids, as well as a number of vitamins and minerals. Of all the quinoa colors, white quinoa has the most delicate taste and the lightest texture and it cooks up a bit fluffier than other types of quinoa.

                                       Red Quinoa
It takes on a brownish color when cooked, is more often used in meals like cold salads since it holds its shape better during cooking, has a richer taste, slightly chewier texture, and somewhat nuttier flavor compared to white quinoa. The main differences in between white and red quinoa is the red quinoa is slightly lower in total fat, a little higher in sodium, fiber, sugar, and protein, vitamin E, riboflavin, and folate. Their amino acid profiles are pretty similar, both are complete proteins.

                                         Calories

There is slight difference in calories between the red and white quinoa. Uncooked red quinoa contains 170 calories for a 1/4-cup serving, while the same serving of white quinoa contains 172 calories.

                                     Carbs and Fiber

If you're trying to increase your intake of fiber, red quinoa makes a better choice. A 1/4-cup serving of red quinoa contains 32 grams of carbs and 5 grams of fiber, while the same serving of white quinoa contains 31 grams of carbs and 3 grams of fiber.

Hair Remover Shaving System for Women

Summer is just around the corner, which means that it’s time to enjoy beaches, pools, wearing bikinis and shorts.

So I've decided to share my favorite shaving system: Braun Silk- épil Epilator .

Silk- épil Epilator is a gentle solution to long-lasting hair removal and great alternative to waxing. It's a "tweezer" epilator, the little metal plates are squeezed together to tweeze out the hairs one at a time as the head spins, and also removes smaller hairs too.

The first time I used , it hurt a little. Then I got used to it and feel pretty normal.

It has two speeds for individual needs, also a light which easily guide your way through the epilation process and lightens up even the finest hairs for no miss removal and it's cordless. Running time is long enough for a full epilation and charges fast.

 

Also comes with a exfoliating brush providing a nice touch, works really well to clean and maintain the skin.

It's a very good epilator. I am more than pleased with the results and worth every penny, my hair is growing less frequently and is no longer coarse. I love it!

How to make healthy Yellow Rice with Brown Rice

Brown rice is a nutritious whole grain packed with fiber, which is important for a heart-healthy diet, and nutrients like selenium,vitamins,antioxidants and protein. Brown rice is the "good carbs" that help balance your diet and can fill you up. 

Cooking brown rice is easy and basic, but it takes a little more time and water than regular white rice. Actually, brown rice is the same white rice without removing all the good stuff in the whitening process.

                      How to make perfect Yellow Rice with Brown Rice
Ingredients: 

• 2 cups Brown rice
• 5 cups water
• 2 tablespoon Coconut Oil or Olive Oil
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 2 garlic cloves
• Salt

How to cook:
First rinse brown rice in a fine strainer under cold water until runs clear, leave it aside. 

1. Heat 2 tbsp of oil (coconut or olive oil) in a large saucepan over medium to low, and sauté the garlic just till it begins to color (careful not to overcook the garlic or it will be bitter). Add the brown rice, and fry the rice before adding the water, sprinkle the turmeric over the rice and mix well, for one to two minutes, this helps build flavor. Add water, it's important to use the right ratio: 2 1/2 cups of water for every cup of brown rice, and salt, bring it to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover pot and simmer until liquid is completely absorbed and rice is just tender, about 40 -50 minutes. No peeking until then; valuable steam escapes! Once the rice is done cooking , let it stand aside off the heat for at least 5 minutes with lid on, then uncover and fluff rice with a fork.

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2. Tips: 

• Cooking brown rice in a large saucepan surface allows for heat to be evenly dispersed, leading to a more consistent texture.

• Use a pan with a tight-fitting lid, prevents steam from escaping when cooking.

• For softer rice, soak the grains in cold water for 45 minutes to an hour before cooking. This allows the water to penetrate the outer bran layers.
• Never lift the lid while the rice is cooking or you'll lose the steam necessary for tenderizing the rice.