Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Whole Foods, Not the Store

Y'all know I love processed vegan convenience foods (hello Amy's vegan mac & cheese!) and faux meats (I worship Gardein), but sometimes it does feel pretty good to get back to my healthy roots and eat simple whole foods. I felt pretty darn good about myself after I downed about two cups of my Red Beans & Quinoa at lunch:

Yes, it's another cookbook tester. I promise to be done with these soon. I've showed y'all pics of most of these recipes before. I first featured this Cajun-inspired dish back in June. But, as I've said time and time again, I'm in the hurry-up-and-test-everything-one-last-time phase of cookbook production.

I have to be done testing by the end of the month, and I have big plans for January that involve a purely whole foods diet for 21 days. Today's red beans and quinoa dish, a fun twist on traditional red beans and rice, would qualify for January's whole foods rules. But alas, it's still December and there's plenty of holiday sweets and processed faux meats in my immediate future. Thankfully, I have meals like this one to ground me every once in awhile.

What's your favorite whole foods meal?

11 comments:

aimee said...

Hi Bianca,
This looks excellent. Heart and healthy. I am cooking black beans in the slow cooker as we speak...maybe I will add a little quinoa in the morning :-)
Best,
Aimee

Ainslie Greig said...

Yummers, I love a good quinoa+bean dish. Quinoa, black beans, sweet potato and avocado is one of my favourite whole food combos that I could eat forever. Or a big ol' kale salad!

Erin said...

Looks delicious! Does veggie sushi count? Haha. I'd probably say three-bean chili with corn, or a grain/greens/sauce bowl. Simple stuff is usually the best!

Tasha said...

Quinoa is THE BEST! That definitely goes on my list as favorite whole foods. I especially love red quinoa, it's so pretty and it packs a real flavor punch.

I agree with Erin, simple stuff is the best. When I'm eating good quality whole foods I like to let the foods natural flavor shine. I always think soups are a great way to do that!

T said...

Looks great! Like red beans and rice kicked up a notch. My favorite boring but delicious meal is sweet potatoes, kale, and beans or tofu. Simple and delicious.

The Health Sensei said...

that looks yum, and anytime you eat whole foods based meals it makes me :) inside and out. perhaps reading my blog is rubbing off on you?

:D

PaganAngel said...

I'm all about rice and beans as well, but just to give a new idea--caponata! I recently tried it, and with the addition of some garbanzos, it's a great whole foods meal!

Jessica said...

Red beans and quinoa looks good. Some of my favorite whole foods are just roasted red potatoes and broccoli. I also like beans and rice, and don't forget the fruit!

jess said...

I love these teases!


Legit whole foods, for the win.

CRyb said...

Right now I'm eating okra, tomatoes, and chickpeas. Awesome for the winter. Can't wait to buy the book.

Suzanne said...

I think my favorite whole food meal is a simple brown rice stir-fry with ginger, garlic and whatever veggies I have in the fridge. Always best with a side of crispy sesame kale. Delish.