Cooking Outside the Box

My Superfoods Bowl this week is Lentils, Quinoa and Roasted Vegetables. It has: leeks, garlic, African Spices, quinoa, lentils, chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, sultanas, roasted potatoes, peppers, carrots, turnips, and shallots. I top with cool yogurt and mint. When I come home starving from my aquafit workout, this is ready to go.

I'm really excited about this week's Superfood Bowl: Asian Brown and Black Rice Salmon Bowl with Wasabi Sesame Dressing. It's bursting with so many complimentary flavors that every bite is a happy surprise. Its superfoods: black and brown rice, salmon, zucchini, red pepper, red onion, seaweed, sunflower seeds, lentils, fennel seed, green beans and sesame seeds. I cooked the rice in jasmine tea as a fun and flavorful surprise. Among all rice varieties, black rice is the healthiest. It has more protein, fiber, vitamin E, iron, and antioxidants. Black rice also has a lower glycemic index, so it means it will slowly release sugar in the blood, preventing sugar spikes.

Realizing that the lovely bread and cheese of Portugal could not continue as my choice of lunch, I decided to start making Super Food Bowls. I make enough to last for a week, so a healthful lunch is always ready for me. This is my grain bowl. It has: barley, split peas, lentils, corn, quinoa, leeks, garlic, red pepper, sweet potatoes, African spices, cumin, turmeric, leftover no salt/no fat duck rice broth, piri piri, olive oil and lemon. I top it with cooling nonfat Greek yogurt. All of these are super foods, dense in nutrition and low in simple carbohydrates, fat and salt. Next week, I will make a Salmon Salad and Brown and Black Rice Bowl. Stay tuned!