Quinoa Pilaf

For a yummy main course made from steamed quinoa and savory vegetables, you cannot beat this pilaf. It was featured on KUTV2 News at Noon, Thursday, January 5. To watch the clips, visit www.miraclepilltruths.com. Click In the News for this and other cooking segments.

Quinoa-Walnut Pilaf With Butternut

Squash & Caramelized Onions

Serves 4-6

*Quinoa is an ancient grain with a spiral shape and tiny kernels. It has a pleasant nutty flavor and cooks up similar to rice. Quinoa can be enjoyed hot as a side dish or in cold salads.

*Toast walnut halves by placing on a baking sheet in a preheated 375 degree oven for approximately 10 minutes, until fragrant and beginning to brown.

*Use a standard potato peeler to remove the peel from butternut squash.

2 cups dry quinoa*

2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon oil, divided

3 tablespoons butter, divided into 2 tablespoons and 1 tablespoon

1 large onion, cut into 1 inch dice

1 teaspoon honey

1 cup uncooked butternut squash, *peeled, cut into 1-inch dice

1 cup toasted walnut halves*, coarsely chopped

2 tablespoons fresh sage leaves, chopped

2 large garlic cloves, finely minced

2 jalapeno chilies, stemmed, seeds and ribs removed, finely diced

1 tablespoon dry ground ginger

1 cup tomato juice or V-8, vegetable stock or water

1 cup corn kernels, canned or frozen

1 (9-10 ounce) package prepared fresh spinach leaves

1 avocado, sliced

2 cups drained plain yogurt (preferably whole milk)* see method below

Cook quinoa in 4 cups salted water in a covered pot on the stovetop, or use a rice cooker. Quinoa should absorb all the water and still be firm.

In a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan, melt 1 tablespoon butter with 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat. Add diced onion and honey, and stir to coat with oil. Cook until onions begin to brown and take on a sweet caramel flavor (about 5 minutes). Add diced butternut squash, walnuts, and sage. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally until squash begins to brown but is still firm (another 5 minutes). Add garlic, jalapenos, and ginger and cook for one more minute. Add more oil if pan seems dry. Add liquid and corn, and stir to incorporate any browned bits on the bottom of the pan. This is called de-glazing the pan.

Stir cooked quinoa into vegetables. Season pilaf generously with salt and pepper. Stir in remaining one tablespoon of butter. Keep warm on low heat.

In a large pan, wilt spinach in the remaining teaspoon of oil over medium heat. Place a bed of spinach on each plate. Top with quinoa pilaf, avocado slices, and a dollop of thickened yogurt (or purchased sour cream). Serve. See Thickened Yogurt recipe below.

Thickened Yogurt

Why cook with yogurt instead of sour cream? Because it is lower in saturated fat and has a distinctly tangy-rich flavor. Yogurt is also creamier with a smoother mouth-feel than sour cream. If you are short on time, don’t bother draining it and just plop a spoonful over anything you would garnish with sour cream.

Method

To thicken yogurt, set a fine mesh strainer over a bowl to catch drips and drain whole or low fat yogurt in the refrigerator at least an hour and up to one day. Store in an airtight container for up to one week. Use in place of sour cream.

Worthiness

It came as a great surprise to me that an all-too-common roadblock in my reader's and client’s pursuit of health is the overall “permission” to care for them-selves. Deep down inside they just don't feel worthy. Balance is a perpetual pursuit and requires putting our body’s needs ABOVE all the other productive things we do—but, not INSTEAD of those other things. Freedom from weight battles requires innate clarity about who they are and who they can become. The question is: are you worthy?

To achieve balance our physical body requires a yin yang of various foods and activities through the day, week, and year. These needs are unique to today, and unique to us, which is why we must be crystal clear on the pecking order of life. Can we do it all: have successful full lives and at the same time answer the cry from our bodies to have an orange when we need one? Yes, effortlessly. People all over the globe do it every day. But, without a foundational premise of: My Body is Paramount, we repeatedly sacrifice essential fuel and activity to the myriad of other tasks in our day. There comes a point in the coaching process when most of my dear clients say they are mystified as to why they did not get the salad they needed (instead of the meatloaf), or eat breakfast before 2 p.m., or carve out a window of time for activity, or stop eating when they really did not want more food. They have legitimate reasons for these choices. But when reminded they want to be FREE of weight issues the realization always flows out: “I don’t feel like I can put myself first. I don’t feel worthy. I am scared to take care of my body. I don’t believe I can be free.”

Ever felt this way? I did.

The root of these paradigms is unique to each person. Some heard childhood messages that they weren’t “enough.” To be inadequate and unacceptable as a youth makes a powerful imprint on identity. Some experienced traumatizing betrayals in adulthood and defined themselves by it. Some have sacrificed for others to the extent that they become habituated to being on the 3^rd or 4^th tier of priority—if they show up on any tier at all. Regardless, it is a true revelation when a client embraces their opportunity to make a “blueprint” for their body in their head. Deciding to design their lives for health and an ideal weight is a turning point in their journey. We know our beliefs precede our actions. What we believe is what we become. There is a moment when we decide to believe we are worthy of self-care. But we simply cannot take that leap of belief until we decide to trust our bodies (their design, messages, and prompts) and justify ownership of our health, minute-to-minute. The “justify” part is the leap. With all the love in my heart I encourage, prod, remind, nag, and mirror their perfection back to them until they re-define themselves as worthy to take care of their bodies.

What makes us valuable enough to claim? The answer is beautifully stated in Marianne Williamson’s profound quote from her book: A Return to Love:

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

While snuggling today on my chaise with my 5-year old, we read I Am Special, by Max Lucado. As we came to the part when the wooden puppet, Punchinello, visits his maker, Eli the Woodcarver, I got all choked up. My son looked up and asked me why the gray dots given the sad, lonely puppet by the other puppets didn’t stick after talking with his Maker. I told him the love of the Maker was what mattered—not the stars or dots stuck to him by those around him. And the Maker loved this wooden puppet with infinite care. Because he was The Maker's, he was special. I explained how Punchinello learned to care more about what his Maker thinks than about what others think--which rendered the dots un-stickable. I don’t know if he got it. My boy is only five. But, this allegory reminded me that our worthiness is inherent. We were made to be in balance. Any mindset, belief, or premise that separates us from living in balance with our bodies also separates us from the One who made our bodies. We are worthy of care because we are divine. Talk about a great justification for making a leap of faith!

Tres Hatch is the author of: Miracle Pill 10 Truths to Healthy, Thin, & Sexy.

Whole Grain Chili (Meatless)

My dear coaching client—Marilu in Gig Harbor, Washington—recently sent me a recipe for Meatless Mexican Filling. As she claimed ownership of her body and began to hear its signals, she began to crave high-flavor, meatless, dishes. Those plant-food cravings resulted in this fantastic whole-grain and lentil pilaf that lends itself to endless flavor profiles and combinations. I modified it slightly and added plenty of suggestions for ways to enjoy it as part of your favorite dishes.

Although I don’t like to make “alternative” dishes by substituting out the meat or fat, in this case I find the taste inherently delicious. I don’t consider it an adaptation but rather, a contemporary spin on rice. Whole grains have a rustic, nutty flavor and when cooked al dente have a toothy mouth feel, similar to ground meat. Could you add a little pork sausage or beef? Sure, but with plenty of flavor and texture you just don’t need it. This preparation stands alone.

Meatless Whole Grain Chili

Makes 12 cups

Although red quinoa is less widely available, it is lovely in this dish because it keeps the appearance darker—more like chili with meat. Swap in other alternative grains such as: teff, kamut, spelt, millet, hemp seed, or chia seed. Feel free to use this basic mixture as a foundation for many different flavor profiles. Instead of chili flavorings try using Italian herbs and garlic, Indian curry spices with peas and coconut milk, Moroccan spices with almonds, carrots, squash and garbanzo beans, or any other flavors you like. Serve this hot with sour cream and corn bread, as burrito filling, or as a delicious stuffing for squash, cabbage, pork loin, or peppers. Alternately, try it cold piled on top of salad with avocado, tomatoes, cheese, and ranch dressing.

For Grains:

1 cup lentils

1 ½ cups brown rice

½ cup yellow or red quinoa

½ cup barley

½ cup whole oat groats (*optional)—available in bulk bins at many markets

2 teaspoons salt

For Chili Flavoring:

3 Tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion, diced small

2 large bay leaves

3 Tablespoons chili powder

2 teaspoons lemon pepper

1 teaspoon garlic powder

2 tablespoons sweet paprika (smoked or regular)

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon—or to taste of dried ground hot chili (arbol, cayenne, New Mexico, pasilla)*optional

1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes (or 1 ½ cups diced fresh tomatoes with juices)

1 cup water or vegetable stock

4 cups fresh spinach, washed, dried, and coarsely chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

In a rice cooker prepare grains with salted water according to manufacturer’s directions, or use 2 cups water for every 1 cup grain. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large lidded pot. Add onion and dry spices and sauté until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and water and stir to deglaze pan. Set aside until grains are cooked.

Stir cooked grains and lentils into the onion-spice mixture. Add spinach and stir. Simmer on low heat for up to 2 hours. Correct seasoning with salt and pepper. Add more water or tomatoes if mixture becomes dry. Serve immediately, or refrigerate up to a week. Freezes well.

Tres Hatch is the author of Miracle Pill 10 Truths to Healthy, Thin, & Sexy.

Picnic at Horseshoe Falls

Are you in denial? Have you found yourself climbing into the car wearing iconic summer gear such as capri pants and flip flops (or manpri pants for you he-man types)? Sure it has been below 40-degrees at night and we’ve already had snow slide off the roof and fall on our heads as we slammed the door on the way out. But, for a few more weeks we can still pretend the tomatoes will turn red on the vine and there might be a warming spell from that delicious golden-Utah sun. To better illustrate my melancholy I turn to a picnic in the mountains, which fortuitously snuck in four days before autumn hit with a freezing hammer.

Horseshoe Falls sits halfway up the rugged convergence of two Alpine mountains. Little more than a natural spring rolling over logs in the waning days of August, it is a roaring thunderous waterfall in springtime. With a vigorous hour-long ascent through pine and granite, it feels tremendously gratifying to pass a natural meadow, take the bend and finally crest at the falls. With my treasured sister and dear friend (in the truest sense of the word—this friend is the one who stayed up all night to tend my baby when I was ill) we spread our checkered blanket next to the gurgling brook, took out our cache of goodies and picnicked like summer was a never-ending massage.

Note the San Pellegrino in plastic goblets, buttery Wisconsin Blue Cheese, crusty artisan bread, strawberries, and an outrageously good Lindt milk chocolate bar infused with orange essence and studded with roasted pistachio chunks. I would be hard-pressed to conjure a meal that would be more of an indulgence than this was to our sweaty bodies in that breathtaking setting. We took off our shoes and wiggled our tired feet in the warm air. All this while filling our expanded lungs with blue sky mountain air and watching the last day of snow run-off splash over rocks into the valley below. I raised my plastic cup to summer—and not a moment too soon. With my electric heating pad, extra down comforter, fuzzy purple robe, and slippers at the ready I can ease into freezing temperatures, but only if this memory cushions the blow.