This article is sponsored by Blue Diamond Almond Breeze. All opinions and the toasted quinoa recipe are my own. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
I’ve heard of people making quinoa recipes and trying to ‘toast’ the quinoa but I haven’t had any experience with this so-called ‘toasting’. I wanted to do something a bit different (as usual), so instead of using water, I used almond milk.
I mean, come on… why not add a little bit of protein and flavor when you can, right?
Right.
I hope everyone knows what quinoa is.
And if you’re wondering, “What is quinoa?”
Well, then we’ll have to take a step back and talk about it.
Quinoa is a gluten-free seed (many people think it’s a grain, but it’s not) and it’s a complete protein because it provides all 9 amino acids so it’s great for vegetarians, vegans or any of you that don’t eat a lot of animal protein.
While I was toasting this quinoa recipe on the stove top, I took some time to think about how we don’t know what’s going on inside of our bodies and how we are all strangers to our own bodies.
It’s kind of crazy when you think about it, isn’t it?
It’s amazing how we should know more about our bodies and make time to eat right and figure out what is actually going on inside instead of spot treating it with drugs and band-aids.
When I grew up and had a cold – the doctor gave me me antibiotics. Yuck.
When I had acne – the dermatologist gave me chemical cremes. Yuck.
When I had IBS they gave me a drug. Yuck.
When I had any issue – the doctors pretty much shut me up by shoving me out of their office in less than 5 minutes with a prescription script and told me to read the directions from the pharmacist.
Oy.
How times have changed for me.
After all those years of being pushed around by bully doctors and bosses at work that never let me leave for doctor’s appointments – I left both worlds.
The corporate America world.
And the Western medicine world.
Yup.
I did.
And I haven’t looked back since.
I believe in supporting our bodies instead of spot treating them. Growing up no one tells us anything about our bodies aside from a quick 30 minute class in high school. I feel like no one knows what is gong on inside of their body. We can look super healthy on the outside and be so sick inside.
Aside from that, I feel like no one has the time nor the patience to heal, they just want a quick band-aid to heal their high cholesterol, autoimmune disease, thyroid issue, stomach aches, acne, etc.
Why is that?
Have we just become so gosh darn stressed out that we don’t have time to take care of ourselves or find the time to research what actually IS going on inside of us?
I admit. When I was in a corporate job – I didn’t have time to research and figure anything out. I had 30 minutes to get to a doctor and back in my office before my boss blew my head off. Yikes. Is that what our society is coming to?
Kinda scary, isn’t it?
Anyway, after all that ‘inner chit chat’ in my head – my quinoa was beyond done and ‘toasted’. I thought at first it was way too dry to eat but it turned out to be amazing and super flavorful.
I served this toasted quinoa as a side dish with salad and almonds and it was purely fabulous.
I hope you enjoy it just as much!
Enjoy.
xo
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups organic quinoa
- 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 cups Almond Breeze Unsweetened Almond Milk
- 1/4 tsp. sea salt
- 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 cup organic sprouts
Instructions
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Rinse the quinoa in a strainer under cold water for 1 minute. Shake the strainer over the sink to remove excess water.
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Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add quinoa and cook for 10 minutes, stirring often.
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Add Almond Breeze Almond Milk and bring quinoa to a boil. Cover and cook for 20 minutes or until all liquid is absorbed and quinoa is 'toasted' golden brown and starts to dry out and release a 'nutty' scent. Remove from heat; set aside to cool for 15 minutes.
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Fluff with a fork; add sea salt and pepper. Gently toss with fresh sprouts and serve.
This post is sponsored by Blue Diamond Almond Breeze.
Hey! Commenting for a chance to win those pretty bracelets and you didn’t specify which post so I chose the yummy quinoa recipe! I love all the psuedo grains for their health benefits and have concluded my absolute favorite is buckwheat! Love the nuttiness, maybe toasting others like quinoa will give it the same depth of flavor?
Btw I loved the response to your first commenter and agree completely. We have to do what we can within reason and prioritize because it would be impossible to follow every peice of nutrition advice we ever heard! Not to mention sacrifice our mental health trying :p
Yes Gaby they have a great depth of flavor. I also like using Teff, too! It’s lovely but quinoa is my favorite!!
I would never thought to use almond milk to toast the quiona. I actually toast it in a little bit of olive oil to get it tan, and then use chicken or vegetable stock in lieu of water to cook it.
I will have to try your recipe.
This recipe looks good and I enjoyed reading article attached to it.
Thanks for a wonderful new recipe to try! I have been moving into this “new life” of healthier eating for a couple of years now. I have just gotten the results of my blood-food allergy panel in the last week and find that even much of the healthy stuff i was consuming, i am also allergic to. Your story is very inspiring as i have a LOT of damage and issues that need to be healed and have felt a lil overwhelmed in this last week. Thanks for your help in this process! The giveaway is a nice touch also, as i am having to change EVERYTHING that i use on my body, right now too. Thanks for the hope! 🙂
I love quinoa and eat it a lot. I do prefer the red quinoa taste but this idea of toasting sounds great. A must try! I would love to win the paleo skincare gift certificate…sounds interesting!
Toasted quinoa? Great idea!
Wow, never knew you could eat quinoa this way! Have to try.
Thank you for sharing! My favorite to follow you is instagram!
I like your 12/13 things you love!
I can’t live without avocados!
Conscious Box sounds fun!