{"id":3262,"date":"2011-05-17T16:05:26","date_gmt":"2011-05-17T14:05:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/?p=3262"},"modified":"2011-06-15T14:45:02","modified_gmt":"2011-06-15T12:45:02","slug":"a-quick-quinoa-lunch-a-food-blogger-on-a-diet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/2011\/05\/17\/a-quick-quinoa-lunch-a-food-blogger-on-a-diet\/","title":{"rendered":"A Quick Quinoa Lunch & a Food Blogger on a Diet"},"content":{"rendered":"

We’re inching even closer to summer which means I start to avoid actually heating things in my apartment, including the oven. Salads and one-pot meals on the stove take precedence (who wants to wash dishes when it’s nice out?)<\/p>\n

Ok, not so sssh, but I’m on a diet. One of the things I’ve been emphasizing is eating complex carbohydrates as opposed to simple ones (white anything: sugar, bread, pasta, rice) and as multigrain and “real”\/unprocessed as possible.<\/p>\n

Every since I discovered<\/a> quinoa<\/a><\/strong> a few years ago, I’ve been pleased to find it pretty often in Italy and I love making a quick salad or main dish with it. The crunchy\/popping seeds really appeals to my oral fixation (oops, did I say that?) and gives added satisfaction, and I love that it can be crunchy or creamy, per your recipe’s imagination.<\/p>\n

\"Red<\/a><\/p>\n

Today’s lunch was quick (if you don’t count the boiling time for the quinoa, that is) and focused on some mini zucchini that my fruit\/veg seller gave me for free with some basil as he was probably trying to soften the blow while we paid 4 euro 50 cents for some tomatoes. Ouch.<\/p>\n

I added just a light sprinkling of feta cheese and pulled out one of my treasured spice grinders and added a ground sprinkling of salt, pepper & garlic on top. The raw, crunchy zucchini appeased my crunch-fixation, too. I usually like to get at least 2 sources of protein from non-grain\/starch sources, so after this bowl I had a few slices of turkey with mustard, too.<\/p>\n

I made some extra so I can make a few meals out of it, and it’s a great base for whatever leftover vegetables you have. In wintertime I’d probably make the same meal but saute the zucchini first with some garlic. Serve the quinoa hot or cold, depending on your mood. Some vegetables I recommend adding in: fresh or cooked spinach, tomatoes of all kinds, fresh or cooked fennel, all types of of beans and lentils, sauteed cauliflower, or grilled, cubed vegetables like eggplant, carrots, and zucchini. A sprinkling of nuts (pine, almond, walnut) to finish it off, too. Or just mix the quinoa with a teaspoon of pesto to start for a flavor boost. Also, salting the water and\/or cooking the quinoa in broth is another easy way to inject some flavor.<\/p>\n

Just in case you were wondering, yes, I really am on a diet. I’ve started another bookmarking \/ health site called Food Blogger on a Diet<\/a><\/strong> (I’ve had the domain for years – I guess my body was trying to tell me something) which will be focused on healthy living and exercise. You won’t find my recipes or photos there, but you’ll find short posts with links to interesting articles about healthy living, other inspiring bloggers, and some food for thought (pun intended).<\/p>\n

Check out Food Blogger on a Diet<\/a>, and if you have a healthy living site or blogger you love, share it in the comments!<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We’re inching even closer to summer which means I start to avoid actually heating things in my apartment, including the oven. Salads and one-pot meals on the stove take precedence (who wants to wash dishes when it’s nice out?) Ok, not so sssh, but I’m on a diet. One of the things I’ve been emphasizing…<\/p>\n

Read More »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,82],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3262","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-food","category-me","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4uB1-QC","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":527,"url":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/2008\/04\/19\/quinoa-and-salted-ricotta-for-livestrong-day\/","url_meta":{"origin":3262,"position":0},"title":"Quinoa and Salted Ricotta for LiveStrong Day","author":"Sara, Ms. Adventures in Italy","date":"April 19, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Update: Barbara has extended the deadline to participate until April 27th! I don't normally post on a Saturday, but this is no ordinary Saturday. In a few minutes, I'll be leaving on a fast train (not a jet plane) to go to Florence, where some 30-odd expats will be getting\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog Event"","block_context":{"text":"Blog Event","link":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/category\/blog-event\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Quinoa and Salted Ricotta for LiveStrong with a Taste of Yellow","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm3.static.flickr.com\/2255\/2423969715_b5577ea775.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":3873,"url":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/2012\/04\/11\/homemade-quinoa-granola-recipe-and-a-road-trip-to-france\/","url_meta":{"origin":3262,"position":1},"title":"Homemade Quinoa Granola Recipe and a Road Trip to France","author":"Sara, Ms. Adventures in Italy","date":"April 11, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"I've cooked with quinoa for a while now, and I keep finding ways to use it in savory dishes. But what about sweet? I wanted to start using quinoa as a porridge in the mornings as I had been reading about, but since I have quite a lot of oatmeal\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Dessert"","block_context":{"text":"Dessert","link":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/category\/recipe\/dessert\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Homemade Quinoa Granola Recipe","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm8.staticflickr.com\/7082\/6921629820_819d5a0044.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":629,"url":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/2008\/06\/03\/quinoa-and-farro-salad-with-salmon-artichoke-hearts-tomatoes-and-basil\/","url_meta":{"origin":3262,"position":2},"title":"Quinoa and Farro Salad with Salmon, Artichoke Hearts, Tomatoes and Basil","author":"Sara, Ms. Adventures in Italy","date":"June 3, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"I mentioned Quinoa in April when I talked about LiveStrong Day, and when I made another dish this weekend using Quinoa, I had no idea I would be writing with a similar motive again today. I know Bri from Figs with Bri very little, but I often stop by on\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Entree"","block_context":{"text":"Entree","link":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/category\/recipe\/entree\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Quinoa and Farro Salad with Salmon, Artichokes and Basil","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm4.static.flickr.com\/3271\/2547793560_5f6193b132.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":3123,"url":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/2011\/02\/15\/gluten-free-food-and-restaurants-in-italy\/","url_meta":{"origin":3262,"position":3},"title":"Gluten-free Food and Restaurants in Italy","author":"Sara, Ms. Adventures in Italy","date":"February 15, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Dear Ms. Adventures, where I can find good gluten-free Italian food in restaurants in Milan? I've been \"told\" that some restaurants in Italy even offer gluten free pasta. I did see that you posted about the grocery shop Natura Si, which sells gluten free products and great if you live\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Ask Ms. Adventures"","block_context":{"text":"Ask Ms. Adventures","link":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/category\/italy\/ask-ms-adventures\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":4056,"url":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/2012\/06\/28\/detox-raw-vegetable-salad-recipe\/","url_meta":{"origin":3262,"position":4},"title":"Detox Raw Vegetable Salad Recipe","author":"Sara, Ms. Adventures in Italy","date":"June 28, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"One of the things I look for during summer is big platters of raw vegetables at parties, barbecues, and in supermarkets. 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We had a good time reading and imagining how your dishes would taste. 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