- 1 onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 cup quinoa
- 1/4 teaspoon saffron, crushed
- 2 teaspoons Spanish smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- dash cayenne
- 1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes
- 1 red or yellow bell pepper, chopped
- 1 14-ounce can light red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
- 2 3/4 – 3 cups vegetable broth
- 2 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced
- 1 cup fresh or frozen peas
- 1 can artichoke hearts, rinsed and cut into quarters
I watched FOK on Monday and it has changed my life forever, bit dramatic but true. Having been a vegetarian for 7 years and a vegan for about a year you’d think that there would be nothing new but it was a revelation. I became a vegetarian for ethical reasons and thought that the health benefits would come flowing along with it – sure have you ever seen a fat vegetarian. Well, even after 7 years of “eating right” my doctor still wants me to lose 20 lbs and so do I. FOK really changed my view to a vegan diet – whole foods are now my focus.
Coming from a family with a history of heart disease (both parents have multiple stents and a brother with a triple bypass plus stents) I worry about my heart health. So the past two days I’ve abandoned processed foods and cooked real, whole and tasty meals. The kids are a little confused but they’ll come around (they are not vegetarian but I won’t cook meat as the smell turns my stomach).
Last nights dinner was from the Fat Free Vegan blog – perfect since I was craving paella but wanted something lighter than rice. This Quinoa Vegan Paella has a subtle flavor and is suitable for people who don’t like spicy food, bit too mild for me so next time I’ll punch up the garlic and cayenne.
Quinoa is a wonder food with a higher protein content than most grains and critically for vegans it has a balanced essential amino acid content making it a complete protein source (also gluten-free). I used it as a replacement for rice and love its nutty flavor and bite. It does need a bit of extra care in preparation and normally needs washing. If you like sprouts in your salad it will sprout in 4-5 hours (very fast).
Happy that now I’m on the way to leading a healthier vegan life!
Photo ©2011 Pat Moroney
We're a small band of family and friends who were inspired by the ground breaking documentary, 
I considered myself a vegetarian for a year, but soon realized that the term vegetarian is not the best term for what I am, especially after watching FOKs which used the term plant based diet. There are so many junk food/processed food vegans and vegetarians out there. Plant based diet means just what it says. I have had vegans and vegetarians tell me I eat so healthy, and that used to make no sense to me, until I realized there are so many vegans/vegetarians who do it for reasons other than health and therefore pay little attention to the quality of foods their eating. They’re just concerned with whether contains meat. I Love Quinoa too. If you haven’t already, you must try the red and black Quinoa. They’re great in fruit salads.
I’m quickly learning that vegetarian and vegan do not always mean healthy or low fat! LOL! Great post. Will check out the links in your post! Looking forward to reading more. Smiles!