Sun at last!

At last “some light at the end of the tunnel” nice weather back again. You feel already different when you get up in the morning and you see some sun light through the window, we are going for some walks back to the park now that the snow is gone.

Since I found the lost quinoa bags we have prepared it already a few times. One of my favourites is cooked with milk, it can be served as a dessert or as breakfast, but we have had it at home a couple of times as a dessert. Boil the quinoa in water and add milk where you have previously boiled lemon zest and cinnamon, you can serve it cold with sugar (we use Splenda a much healthier option) and sprinkled with cinnamon. It’s to die for!

Quinoa Soup

Quinoa should always be washed and rinsed before cooking. The amount is 2 cups of water, for 1 of quinoa. If you want to cook it in a similar way to the rice cover the pot and let it cook slowly in water with a pinch of salt until all the water has been absorbed. Otherwise, you can also cook it with more amount of water to make it more similar to a soup. You can also add it to salads once cook or even have it with milk and some sugar, as cereal (once cooked) for breakfast. I was thinking of including one of my recipes but I thought that some of you would enjoy a nice video.

Listen to the properties of the quinoa

I just found this great video that I wanted to share. Definitely my bags of quinoa are coming back into my diet once again.

Quinoa and its properties

It’s amazing the amount of things you forget you keep in the cupboards. I don’t usually keep things out of date, but lots of things that I forgot about.

Today cleaning the kitchen cupboards I found a couple of forgotten quinoa bags, and I mean forgotten because suddenly I realised that it was ages that we don’t cook it. But then I remember all the natural and healthy properties that quinoa contains and
I promised to myself that I will cook it before the end of this week.

Quinoa is ideal for vegetarians and vegans because of all the properties from a nutritional point of view, but not only for them, it is the ideal food for any one. This seed that is cooked in a similar way to the rice is absolutely packed with protein and contains less carbohydrate than normal cereals, it also contains all the amino acids that the body needs daily.

Quinoa is very rich in iron, but also contain good amounts of calcium, group B vitamins, Vitamin C, E, folic acid, and plenty of minerals. The seed is also rich in fibre which will keep healthy your intestines and help you prevent cardiovascular disease.

If you would like to find out a bit more about the quinoa and its properties, this is an excellent book The Art of Cooking With Quinoa: A Complete Vegetable Protein. If you have ever tried or would like to try it, then click on the image on the top, Amazon will send it for you on the post for a mere £2.85 per bag (it is not ever worth to go to the shop)

Under the (bad) Weather

What a "lucky" weather we have!, it has been snowing lately and with children you can’t go out anywhere, well at least I don’t take the risk these days to go around for a walk and end up killing myself on the slippery pavement. So I have been waiting (impatiently) until it gets better, baby doesn’t go anywhere until the temperature rises a bit.

This country sometimes makes me feel quite down, there is always that lack of natural light. However, we try to make the best of our cosy home, play together, read tales, clean, cook... (even work). I know the children need fresh air what makes me feel a bit guilty. I have been thinking lately of actually joining a swimming pool with the little ones. It is difficult when you are a mum to have time to join the gym. I do some exercise at home and I also take advantage of good walks in the park or around, with just the excuse of getting the kids out, however the swimming pool is a totally different story and I think all of us could enjoy it and benefit from it. So I will try to find out as soon as this snow disappears from our front door.

Making bread easily

When we live in a city we get use to so many commodities that you forget that the most basic things are exactly that; basic and easy.

There was a time when I used to get up flying in the morning to the corner shop just because the bread was finished (here everyone likes fresh bread or toasts for breakfast). Actually it is so dead easy to make your own fresh bread (and so cheap and healthy) that I wonder what I was thinking of on that time, instead of making my own.

Here is my own recipe, it is very basic but you can adapt it to your own needs.

Ingredients:
750 gr of stoneground wholemeal flour
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 sachet of fast action dried yeast
A pinch of salt
(If you like it add seeds, nuts, raisins...whatever you prefer)

I mix the flour, olive oil and yeast into a bowl where I also add some warm water. I knead altogether for around 5 minutes or a bit more and I cover it (back in the bowl) for a couple of hours. After these two hours have gone I add the salt and the seeds, we use linseed as they seem to be really healthy, then I knead it for around 5 minutes more. I give the shape of two loaves and I put them on the tray where I will cook them. I leave them to rise for a couple of hours more in a warm place. Afterwards, I just put them inside a preheated oven at 220 degrees for around 25 minutes.

This is enough for two big loaves. I usually do it in the evening and then they are fresh for next morning.