I have never cooked quinoa before - it is high in riboflavin and phosphorus. I am pleasantly surprised I like it, the flavor and texture packs a punch for such a small grain. I imagined it tasting like couscous - but it is much better...and gluten free for those who like that!
Ingredients:
White jumbo shrimp 1 or 2 cups (up to you!)
1/2 cup of quinoa (or 1 cup if you are preparing for more than 2 people)
Olive oil - 2 tablespoons
Baby spinach (chopped) 1-2 cups chopped
Bok Choy (chopped) 2 stalks - chopped
Garlic - 2 cloves, sliced thin
Grated fresh ginger - 1 tsp
Lime juice - 1 tsp
Roma tomato - 1/2 diced
Salt free seasoning - 2 tsp.
Chili powder - two dashes
Blackstrap molasses (unsulphured) - 1 tablespoon
Coarse sea salt - 1/2 tsp.
Directions:
- Prepare quinoa first. Cooks in 20 minutes approximately. 1:2 ratio. I used 1/2 cup quinoa and 1 cup water. Add salt free seasoning to it while it is simmering.
- Saute' spinach, bok choy or about a minute in a little olive oil - set aside (just enough to lightly wilt the spinach)
- Saute' shrimp, ginger, sea salt, chili powder, & garlic. Add the molasses, lime juice about half way through.
- Once the shrimp is finished, it is ready to serve
I plated mine as follows with fresh diced tomato, however, in hindsight I may have added those tomatoes to the cooking shrimp near the very end so they absorb the flavor and release the lycopene. Hindsight is 20/20!
Healing properties
Ginger
Aids in Digestion – Ginger is perhaps the best herb for digestion. It helps break down proteins to rid the stomach and intestines of gas. It also aids in the digestion of fatty foods.
Alleviates High Blood Pressure – Ginger’s warming quality improves and stimulates circulation and relaxes the muscles surrounding blood vessels, facilitating the flow of blood throughout the body.
Treats Nausea and Morning Sickness – Ginger has been widely shown to prevent as well as treat motion sickness, relax the stomach and relieve the feeling of nausea.
Lowers LDL Cholesterol – Studies demonstrate that ginger can lower cholesterol levels by reducing cholesterol absorption in the blood and liver. Its extract can help reduce the levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol in the body, reducing the risk of developing heart disease.
and more ginger benefits here.
Garlic
Garlic is an Antioxidant
Researchers have widely believed that the organic compound in garlic, allicin, which gives garlic its aroma and flavour, acts as the world’s most powerful antioxidant.
Garlic has been used as both food and medicine in many cultures for thousands of years, dating back to when the Egyptian pyramids were built. In early 18th-century France, gravediggers drank crushed garlic in wine believing it would protect them from the plague that killed many people in Europe. During both World Wars I and II, soldiers were given garlic to prevent gangrene. Today garlic is used to help prevent heart disease, including atherosclerosis or hardening of the arteries (plaque buildup in the arteries that can block the flow of blood and may lead to heart attack or stroke), high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and to boost the immune system.
Garlic is rich in antioxidants, which help destroy free radicals -- particles that can damage cell membranes and DNA, and may contribute to the aging process as well as the development of a number of conditions, including heart disease and cancer. Antioxidants neutralize free radicals and reduce or even help prevent some of the damage they cause over time.
Garlic Is An Antibiotic
The allicin in garlic is also a powerful antibiotic, which fights infection and bacteria. British researchers gave 146 people either a placebo or a garlic extract for 12 weeks. The garlic takers were two-thirds less likely to catch a cold. Other studies suggest that garlic lovers who eat more than six cloves a week have a 30 percent lower rate of colorectal cancer and a 50 percent lower rate of stomach cancer. Garlic helps to open clogged sinuses.
Garlic Reduces Cholesterol
In a 2012 study from the Institute of Toxicology at Shandong University, researchers analyzed data from 26 well-designed clinical trials to evaluate the effects of garlic on cholesterol levels. Overall, the researchers found that garlic was more effective than placebo in reducing cholesterol. The authors noted that when compared to control groups, garlic significantly reduced both total cholesterol and triglyceride levels.
There are many additional studies confirming that garlic in several forms can reduce cholesterol.
Garlic Is An Aphrodisiac
Garlic has the ability to increase and improve circulation and it is thought that it can stir up passions! Tibetan monks were forbidden from entering the monasteries if they had eaten garlic.
Bok Choy
High in vitamin C, vitamin A, calcium, and iron.
Spinach
Spinach, like bok choy is high in vitamin C, vitamin A, and provides calcium and iron.
Molasses - nutrition breakdown here
Molasses as medicine cures:
Chronic fatigue syndrome
Depression, anxiety, and related nervous disorders
Chronic ailments, such as arthritis and rheumatism
Tumors and fibroids
Constipation
Heart palpitations
Anemia
Acne
