Quinoa Bowl

According to Ayurveda, the ancient healing system that is the sister science to Yoga, all disease begins in the gut. And so, it makes sense to take care of the gut, or the digestive system.

The best way to take care of our digestive systems is by eating healthy food. There are many techniques and solutions to specific problems offered by Ayurveda, way too many to detail in one blog post. But seasonal cooked veggies and ghee (clarified butter), are good for everyone.

This recipe is a simple go-to recipe that you can make for a healthy dinner option, or cook up in the evening and throw in a Pyrex container for tomorrow’s lunch.

Quinoa is a grain that is low in fat and high in protein. It is much easier to digest than most grains, and certainly easier and better than any form of gluten.

Garlic is a powerhouse healer for the digestive tract. It literally cleans up yucky intestinal invaders in a hurry. Bad bugs stand no chance against garlic. If you really desire a healing boost, try adding one clove of crushed, fresh garlic right at the very end of your sautee, keeping it close to raw. Yes it’s a strong flavor, in this case indicating a strong healer.

Remember to use organic ingredients wherever possible; it really does make a difference. Chemicals and pesticides wreak havoc on gut health.

I invite you to give this recipe a try and leave me a comment about how it turns out!

 

Quinoa Bowl 

Ingredients:

1 cup quinoa (Trader Joe’s sells it by the bag, most grocery stores carry it now)

3 cloves fresh garlic

1 sweet onion

sea salt and black pepper

Ghee (ghee is clarified butter and is much easier to digest than regular butter)

Olive oil

1 large zucchini, or 2 small ones

3 large yams

 

Method:

Place one cup quinoa in a sauce pan with two cups of water. Cover. Turn on high and keep on eye on it; when it is rigorously boiling, turn the heat to low and simmer. When you see all the water has disappeared, remove from heat and fluff with a fork.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350. Chop yams into cubes. Melt 2 tablespoons of ghee and pour this over the chopped yams on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake until roasted, about 35 minutes. Half way through roasting, mix yams.

As these things cook, chop your onion into long slivers. Place them in a cast iron frying pan with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Turn on a medium low heat setting. When onions begin to look translucent, smash and chop the garlic, and throw it in with the onions. Stir this mixture few couple minutes.

Chop zucchini into bite-sized cubes. Put these in with the onions; by this time the onions should have a golden color, and if they don’t, wait to put the zucchini in until they do. Once zucchini is in, add 1/4 tablespoon black pepper and 1/4 tablespoon sea salt. You can add an additional pinch or two of these if you are a salt and pepper fan, like I am.

Watch your veggies and when the zucchini starts looking soft and cooked, turn off the heat. You can always stab it with a fork and see if it’s nice and soft.

Divide your quinoa into two bowls and add the zucchini mixture to each.

Top with the yams. Now you have a delicious and healthy meal. If you need a bigger meal, this dish makes a great side dish, as well.

This amount will feed two.

Enjoy!