Quinoa: The ancient, traditional grain

Up until recently, quinoa (pronounced “Qin-wah”) was not well-known in North America. Now, many North Americans are adding it to their diets because of its nutritional texture, which is rich in protein and contains all eight essential amino acids. Quinoa is grown in many parts of Latin America, such as Ecuador, Bolivia and Peru. It is cooked similarly to rice.

For tonight’s main course, I’ve decided to make a quick and simple Latin-infused quinoa salad. 

First, mix one cup of quinoa with two cups of water in a pot (make sure the quinoa is rinsed).

Boil the quinoa for 15 to 20 minutes on medium low. 

Once the quinoa is a clear, translucent color and the texture is fluffy let it cool for 5 minutes. You can add fluffiness to the quinoa by stirring it with a fork. 

Cut up some vegetables for the salad. I added bell peppers, onions, cilantro, tomatoes and  green chilies. 

Heat up a can of black beans on medium low.

Squeeze some fresh lime onto the quinoa and add some hot sauce (I used Trader Joe’s version of Sriracha sauce). 

Mix all of the ingredients together and voilà a delicious and yummy fiesta in a bowl. 

 

Bold Native: My fight, my freedom

Lately this question keeps floating through my mind: Why do good people eat meat?

Answer: It tastes good.

That’s usually the answer isn’t it? Understandably so. After I abandoned my blog for a year I became pescatarian, partially because I worked at a seafood restaurant and because I missed the taste of sushi. I still loved animals and I still considered myself an animal advocate, but deep inside I knew I was a hypocrite.

I recently re-watched the movie “Bold Native” and this quote caught my eye in particular:

“They say freedom isn’t free. Absolutely goddamn right. We spend our lives saying no. Not me, not my fight, not my problem, not tonight. What’s the difference between you and me? A few years ago I became someone who said yes. Me, my fight, my problem, tonight.”

-Charlie Cranehill, from the film Bold Native

I chose this fight 10 years ago when I stopped eating meat and became the first one of my Latino family to go vegetarian.

I know about the abuse that animals go through at slaughterhouses, the emotional pain that a mother cow feels when her calf is taken away from her and the short life that male baby chicks endure before becoming devoured in a grinder. I can’t ignore facts, just like I can’t ignore reality. This is my fight. It’s been my fight since Lisa Simpson made that simple connection that meat comes from the same animals that I (too) loved petting at the fairs.

So here I go again making my second attempt towards veganism. Wish me luck!

P.S. For those interested in watching “Bold Native” you can watch the movie free at boldnative.com.