Delicious and easy red quinoa pilaf (vegan)

Today is SPUD day. What does that mean? That means that today is the day that one of my favourite companies of all time, SPUD (aka "Small Potatoes Urban Delivery") delivers delicious, organic, local and best of all affordable groceries to our doorstep. Being the total food nut that I am, SPUD days are always good days. (if you live in LA, Orange County, San Francisco, Portland, Seattle, Vancouver, Victoria, or Calgary, check them out!!! www.spud.com. Enter the code CR5-994937 to get a $25 discount on your first few orders)

The only downside to SPUD days is that until the delivery arrives, we're down to the scraps in the fridge, and I'm required to be much more creative with dinner. Well, today's creation proved to be so delicious, quick and easy, I thought I'd share it.

Red Quinoa & Leek pilaf (Serves 2)

Ingredients:
- 1 cup red quinoa
- 2 large leeks, chopped
- 1 big bunch spinach, washed and chopped
- 1/3 cup pine nuts
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 avocado
- 1 cup cultured raw veggies
- fresh ground salt & pepper to taste

In a small pot, combine the quinoa with 2 cups water and a dash of salt and bring to a boil. Put a lid on the pot, turn the heat way down, and leave for about 15-20 minutes, until the quinoa is nice and fluffy and the water has boiled down.

While the quinoa is cooking, prepare the leek and spinach. Heat coconut oil in a med-sized pan, and add the leek. Cook for 4-5 minutes, or until just tender. Add the pine nuts and spinach, and cook until spinach is wilted - about 2-3 minutes. Set aside.

When the quinoa has finished cooking, add it to the leek, spinach and pine nut mix and add salt and pepper to taste. Divide the mixture between two plates, and add a 1/2 cup of the raw cultured veggies to each plate. Cut the avocado in half, and garnish each plate with avocado slices.

Homemade Sauerkraut – Raw cultured veggie goodness!

Yesterday’s recipe was for homemade cream cheese with a handy by-product of whey. Today, I’m going to use some of that whey we made in another one of my all-time favorites: homemade sauerkraut.

(Another big thank you to Sally Fallon and her fantastic cookbook Nourishing Traditions: The cookbook that challenges politically correct nutrition and the diet dictocrats for this recipe.)

You can buy sauerkraut from the store, but often it’s made with vinegar, too much salt, and the vegetables are pasteurized, which reduces their nutritional value. This homemade sauerkraut is a type of raw cultured vegetable - a whole different creature.

Raw cultured vegetables – also known as lacto-fermented vegetables – are vegetables preserved through a process of lacto-fermentation. Lactic acid is a natural preservative that inhibits putrefying bacteria. Starches and sugars in vegetables and fruits are converted into lactic acid by many species of lactic-acid-producing bacteria, or “lactobacilli”. Numerous important chemical changes take place during this type of fermentation, far beyond their practical purpose of preservation.

• Cultured veggies are already partially digested, so they’re easy on the system. Not only are they readily absorbed by your body, they enhance your body’s ability to digest and absorb nutrients from the other things you eat at the same time.
• They’re delicious, and add a unique flavor to your meals.
• They help to balance the pH of your digestive tract.
• They offset the toxic and carcinogenic effects of the charcoal from BBQ.
• They are naturally packed with digestive enzymes and probiotics, which support the health of your digestive system.
• They help to heal the lining of your intestines by promoting the growth of healthy flora.
• They promote a healthy and strong immune system.
• And last but certainly not least, they help reduce sugar cravings.

I could go on, but you get the picture. Many traditional cultures have preserved veggies and fruits using this method. The most commonly known is the European version: sauerkraut, or lacto-fermented cabbage. Here’s how you make it.

Equipment you’ll need:

• Big bowl
• Meat hammer, wooden pounder or a pestle
• Quart-sized mason jar

Ingredients:

• 1 medium cabbage, cored and shredded
• 1 tbsp caraway seeds
• 1 tbsp sea salt
• 4 tbsp whey (see whey recipe from yesterday’s posting)

In bowl, mix the cabbage with caraway seeds, sea salt and whey. Pound the mixture with the hammer, pounder or pestle (my personal favorite) for about 10 minutes to release juices. Place in a quart-sized, wide-mouth mason jar and press down firmly with a pounder or meat hammer until juices come to the top of the cabbage. The top of the cabbage should be at least 1 inch below the top of the jar. Cover tightly and keep at room temperature for about 3 days before transferring to cold storage. It keeps for months. The sauerkraut may be eaten immediately, but it improves with age.