Mediterranean Inspired Quinoa Salad
The mediterranean diet is my favorite way to eat these days. Thats probably because its not really a "diet" but rather a lifestyle
with food patterns that replicate over many geographical areas bordering the mediterranean sea. The foods include fruit, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds and olive oil generally. Little meat and some fish is included. Some dairy/cheese too and wine, which of course makes me happy.
Research has shown that this type of eating pattern, along with an active lifestyle and enjoying meals with friends and family, can reduce your risk of heart disease and overall mortality. In fact, the residents on the island of Ikaria in Greece enjoy very low incidence of dementia and other chronic diseases that seem to plague us as Americans. Known as one of the "Blue zones", which are areas where people live the longest and are the healthiest, Ikarians eat fruit, veggies, beans, potatoes, olive oil and wine. They also drink herbal teas, use grass fed goats milk instead of cows milk and take naps. Whats not to love? But I digress...
More on Blue zones to come in a future blog post..
Back to the recipe...I wanted to share what I made for 2 cooking classes that I have done recently -it went over well and even people that don't usually like garbanzo beans or knew that you could eat hemp enjoyed it!
Stay tuned for my next post that will include more nutritional information on hemp - for now lets just say that its having an "American Renaissance" of sorts. It's packed with protein, healthy fats and tastes good too -can't wait to dive into more research on this exiting food! Hope you enjoy the recipe- packed with fiber, delicious herbs, veggies and vegetarian protein, its one of my top favorite things to eat!! Enjoy!
