News Taffy

Regular readers will remember that my husband and I decided to give up wheat based foods a couple of weeks ago after reading the book Wheat Belly. Giving up wheat is easy and difficult at the same time. It easy to find alternatives to sandwiches for lunch or cereal for breakfast. The difficulty is that the alternatives usually involve more preparation than grabbing a bagel or snacking on pretzels. While I am not ready to give my final report on the Wheat Belly and giving up wheat, I do have a few tips for my fellow dieters.

First, carefully pick the time to start your diet. Don’t start too close to the holidays or you will succumb to temptation. Avoid stressful times like the start of tax season if you are an accountant or the start of school if you are a teacher. Stress can lead to overeating and you will be less likely to stick to a new eating plan if other areas of your life are too demanding of your time and attention. Plan to exercise while you are dieting to be more successful. Be prepared by knowing exactly what you plan to eat on the diet, and having those foods on hand before you start. Don’t wake up starving the morning you start dieting but have nothing to eat in the house because it’s not “on your diet”. Know what you are willing to do or to eat. If you’ve never been a good cook, don’t think a diet plan will suddenly turn you into Bobby Flay and don’t go on a grapefruit diet if you hate grapefruit. Most of all, don’t give up if you have a weak moment or eat too much junk one day. Get back on track, go forward and don’t dwell on your “failure”.

Here is a yummy, wheat free, Southwest quinoa dish that my whole family enjoyed. You can add some chopped cooked chicken to make this dish more hearty but the beans and quinoa provide plenty of protein. We liked it warm, and my daughter and I ate it cold the next day for lunch. It does keep well for a few days in the fridge so it is great to take to work or school.

Southwest Quinoa and Black Beans

1 cup quinoa

2 cups chicken broth

1/2 onion chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 large tomato chopped

1 avocado chopped

3 or 4 green onions, sliced

1/2 bell pepper, chopped

1/2 cup crumbled Cotija cheese, feta can be used in a pinch

2 Tbsp. olive or canola oil

1 tsp. cumin

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat, cook and stir onion, bell pepper and garlic until lightly browned. Meanwhile, bring broth to a boil, add quinoa and cook until tender and broth is absorbed, about 15 to 20 minutes. Let quinoa cool. Add other ingredients and toss gently.