Today my two worlds collide. Mammography and food. Yes. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and I'm kicking it off with this delicious, pink, For The Cure Quinoa. Below you'll find some helpful links about breast cancer and it's relation to diet, as well as how to do a breast self exam. Also, you can see how you too can have some sexy hunks remind you to do a self breast exam and show you how. That's right. Oh my gosh, you guys, it's too exciting to handle. This post is rockin' my food/booby world.
It is all part of my royal duty as a Mammographer. And now, I bring you For The Cure Quinoa! Beautiful, no?
This dish is colored pink by beautiful beets and packed with broccoli and kale, both are the top food fighters against breast cancer! For more on that please, please, please watch this video on the Breast Cancer Survival Vegetable.
And for more information on breast cancer and it's relationship to diet you can read this article, Breast Cancer and Diet. Both the video and the article are from Nutritionfacts.org. Of course I couldn't forget about my male readers. Men get breast cancer to, so check yo self boys. Seriously.
For The Cure Quinoa
Inspired by Carla's Confections
Serves 4
- 3 small beets, peeled and quartered
- 1 cup dry quinoa, rinsed well
- 2 cups water
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1/3 cup vegetable broth
- 1 head of broccoli florets, cut small
- 1 bunch of kale, chopped
- 3/4 tsp. kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
- 1 Tbsp. raw apple cider vinegar
- 1 1/2 Tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped
- 1/2 Tbsp. fresh thyme, chopped
Peel and quarter the beets. Place them in a large microwave safe dish with about a small amount of water. Just enough to barely cover the bottom. Don't make the mistake I did and put too much water in. You could end with a mess like this!
Cover the beets with a microwave safe plate and nuke for about 10 minutes or until you being to smell them. Then allow the beets to rest in the microwave, covered, until ready for use.
Combine the quinoa and water in a large saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer, cover and allow to cook for about 15 minutes. Once done cooking, remove from heat and fluff with a fork. Set aside until ready to use.
In a large frying pan, heat the oil over medium heat, then add the onions and garlic. Saute for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the onions begin to turn translucent.
Then, add in the vegetable broth as well as the broccoli and the kale. Allow to cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes or until the broccoli begins to just soften. Stir occasionally.
Once the broccoli is tender and the kale has wilted, remove from heat. Get the cooked beets and dice them. Then add the beets, salt, pepper, vinegar and fresh herbs to the broccoli and kale mixture and stir well to combine.
Add in the quinoa and stir well to combine. Serve hot and garnished with additional herbs if you like.
Be sure to talk to your doctor if you're 40 or over about scheduling a mammogram. Also, don't forget to perform a breast self exam every month. Check out this great article on how to do a breast self exam.
If you need a reminder to do the breast self exam or just want some serious entertainment, watch this video of hunky men talking about the Your Man Reminder app that gives you monthly reminders and shows you how to do a breast self exam. Just watch it ladies. Trust me. Go do it right now. You'll regret it if you don't! I have the app, really, I do! I picked the bookish man...I know you had me pegged for the culinary man, but you're wrong.
So make this quinoa, listen to Cher – Woman's World (like I am), do a self breast exam and if appropriate, schedule a clinical breast exam and mammogram. Do it for me, okay?
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To make the pancakes, whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a large mixing bowl. Then add in the milk, the flaxseed egg, and the oil. Mix until just combined.
Over medium-high, heat a large frying pan and coat with a nonstick cooking spray. Add 1/4 cup of pancake batter to the pan. Allow the pancake to cook until the edges start to form bubbles, about two minutes, then "pipe" a swirl of the cinnamon filling onto the pancake, as such. Careful not to let it get too close to the edges of the pancake.
Then, flip the pancake over and allow the other side to cook for about 30 seconds. You don't want to leave it flipped for too long or else the filling may begin to burn. Some of the melted filling will seep out from beneath the pancake and that's okay. Remove the pancake from the pan once cooked through and place on a plate.
Serve the pancakes stacked high, hot and drizzled with the coconut icing. No need for maple syrup or butter!
