beetroot fennel quinoa pilaf

Create an INTENTION to practise conscious eating, connecting to your food with all of your senses and with a grateful attitude.  Here are a few mindful intentions that help to guide me.

I

Invite a feeling of gratitude and thanks by blessing your food before and after eating.

N

Nourish yourself by practising silence when eating your food.

T

Take the intention always to sit down to eat.

E

Eat only when hungry and drink only when thirsty.

N

Nutrients are better absorbed when meals are kept simple and not when too many different foods are mixed.

T

Thoroughly chew your food and eat slowly.

I

Increase awareness and avoid drinking large quantities of liquid, especially cold, when eating.

O

Open your heart by using candles, special dishes, and flowers to create beauty around mealtime.

N

Never eat in an agitated or angry state; always eat in a calm, relaxed, settled, and quiet atmosphere.

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BEETROOT FENNEL QUINOA PILAF

A favourite way of serving this is with freshly made, warm hummus and a leafy, lemon, garden herb salad. When short of time, I put everything into the pot to cook with the quinoa—not as aesthetically appealing, but still deliciously tasty. This could be made with rice, barley, millet, or any grain of choice—double the spices when made with rice.

ingredients

1 cup quinoa

1½ cups water

1 small fennel bulb

1 medium beetroot

1 medium carrot

voggarane

2 Tblp ghee or oil

½ heaped tsp cumin seeds

½ heaped tsp coriander seeds

½ tsp pink peppercorns

2 Tbsp small black currants or chopped sultanas

1 tsp jaggery

1 tsp fine rock salt

preparation

  1. Wash the quinoa and let it sit in water for 10 minutes; drain and place in a saucepan with 1½ cups water. Bring to a boil, turn down the heat, and simmer, covered, until the water has evaporated. (Try to just undercook the quinoa slightly—it gives a nice texture and nutty bite.) Let sit undisturbed for 15 minutes.
  2. Finely slice the fennel, cut the beetroot and carrot into small uniform pieces. (Cutting them small allows them to become tender quicker without overcooking the fennel.) Set aside.

prepare the voggarane

  1. Dry roast the cumin, coriander, and peppercorns in a pan. Add them to a mortar and pestle and roughly grind—set aside.
  2. Heat ghee in a pan. Saute the fennel for 1 minute, then add the carrot, beetroot, and ground spices. Cover and saute on low heat until just tender, 12 -15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  3. Add currants, jaggery, salt, and quinoa. Fluff the quinoa with a fork as you stir to combine, and garnish with finely chopped fennel fronds. Serve warm or at room temperature.

 

beetroot pilaf

LEMON LEAFY GARDEN HERB SALAD WITH A PINE NUT LEMON DRESSING

ingredients

a mixture of small garden leaves of parsley, fennel, mustard, spinach, lettuce and coriander

edible garden flowers

1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and sliced

1 avocado, cut into small cubes

dressing

¼ cup pine nuts

1 Tbsp sesame seeds

½ juice of a lemon

pinch of salt

freshly ground pepper

¼ cup cold press olive/flax oil

prepare the dressing

  1. In a skillet, dry-roast the pine nuts and sesame seeds until golden; remove from heat and transfer to a bowl to cool. Roughly chop two tablespoons and set aside.
  2. Place the remaining pine nuts with the remaining dressing ingredients in a blender and blend on high for 1 minute. While the blender is running, add the oil, blend until thick and creamy, transfer to a jar, and set aside.

assemble the salad

  1. Gently wash the garden flowers separately and place them on a cloth to dry. Wash and spin the salad leaves and place in a bowl with the cucumber and avocado.
  2. Shake the dressing and drizzle it over the salad, lightly tossing. Sprinkle over the lemon rind, pine nuts, and edible garden flowers.

Find a quiet place, bless, and enjoy with gratitude.

beetroot pilaf

Goodness shared from Stacey