black bean quinoa w/ heirloom tomatoes and pale lager

yep, that says pale lager.  i had beer, too!!  🙂

so, this was my first “solid” meal after my cleanse.  this was the first grain and/or legume i had in 7 days!  so weird. hard to believe i made it through that cleanse.  the middle ground was definitely the hardest, but today i feel great!  i also did a ton of “other” cleansing last night to include a calcium bentonite clay mask, mustard seed bath, sage-smudging, and meditation by candlelight and incense.  i literally feel anew today.  it’s a weird space to be in, actually. i’m not entirely sure what the next step is.  kind of a void, if you will.  but it’s not a negative thing. it’s just that i feel so fresh and new and it’s like i want to reinvent myself and the world around me… i can’t help but think of one of my favourite bloggers when i say that – it’s like i want to create a new mantra for my life… and so i will.

today it started with gratitude, snuggles from my kitty, yoga {this video is similar to my morning practice – also what got me started doing yoga!}, and a detox tea.

last night for dinner, this is what went down :

– 1/2 cup rainbow quinoa

– 2 heirloom tomoatoes {i chose green because that’s all they had at the time, plus i had never tried the green ones}

– black beans {i chose organic because well, that’s my new thing.  also, i try to avoid things in cans, so i was thrilled to see WFM carrying some of their products in boxes like this!}

– organic EVOO

begin by adding 1 cup water to your quinoa {ratio is 1:2} in a pan and bring to a boil.  it’s important to cook quinoa in the water as it boils, otherwise it will not cook properly.  boil for about 10-15 minutes, until the germ begins to separate from the seed.

toss in your chopped tomatoes, allowing the quinoa to also cook in their juices.  i also drizzled in about a tablespoon of EVOO.

do you see how the quinoa has separated?!

i always wondered why they put black, red, and white quinoa together – for i had thought they cooked at different times. i may have overcooked the quinoa in this dish, but it was still fine.  i wanted it to soak up some of the heirloom tomato flavour…

cover and let simmer on low until liquid is absorbed.

drain your blackbeans.  i chose to do this because i didn’t want the dish to become soggy…

toss them in with your quinoa and tomatoes, add in a little EVOO and S&P.

i served mine with some leftover kale and carrots from my cleanse.  it was SO good to have some real, lean, protein – i totally inhaled that goodness!  also, check out all that colour!

talk about a protein-packed, nutrient-dense, high-fiber, holy smokes good for you superfood meal!  🙂

and MAN did it feel good to wash it down with this {first alcoholic beverage in 7 days as well!} :

great glass, right?!  little gift from my co-workers in the beer room at my previous store… thanks, adam!!!

how appropriate is the name?!

i’m totally shifting!  😉

Tags: easy, healthy, lean protein, light, organics, quinoa, simple, vegan, vegetarian