VEGETARIANISM: DAY Seventeen

Yesterday, I made my own quinoa dish, added olives, the purple kind, which were softer, with a gentler taste than the black and green olives, various colors and sizes of tomatoes, some crumbled feta cheese, and two tablespoons of olive oil. 

I thought the hardest part would be making the quinoa.  Something like making pasta where you have to watch the pot of water sit on the burner for several minutes while the water get hot enough to start boiling, and then adding the food and letting it sit in the boiling water until it is just right. 

Yet, making the quinoa was not that difficult.  The water had to boil, true.  But once it started, you knocked the burner down to low and let the quinoa soak up all the water.  Ten minutes was all it took, the time to chop up the tomatoes and the olives and to retrieve the feta cheese, and olive oil.  It cooked in a small pot which fit very easily in the refrigerator.

And I was surprised how so little of it made me full.  A bowl of it with yogurt was all I needed for dinner.  Later on that night, I had another small bowl of yogurt as a snack. 

I like the texture of quinoa, its small and easily swallowed.  Its practically flavorless which permits you to work with other flavors to make it versatile. 

But probably the biggest thing I like about quinoa is that it is a protein rich food, something a meatless diet sorely needs.  Other benefits include: (1) iron; (2) lysine; (3) magnesium; (4) Riboflavin (B2); and (5) manganese.  The only problem is that it is a calorie rich food, with one cup equaling 222 calories.  Despite its high caloric count, it is food I would not mind substituting into my diet.