Keen-what?! (Emphasis on the what a la Ebonics phonetics)

So apparently Quinoa isn't pronounced key-no-ah like I have been saying, but rather keen-wah.

Whatever. Way back when when it was the staple of the Aztec diet, it was kinwa. This is just another horrible example of how English takes a word, messes with its spelling and makes it utterly phonetically undecodable just to screw with us. No wonder everyone hates our language. (Trust me, they do. I teach ESL.)

But no matter how you say it, this is a grain you should acquaint yourself with, vegan or not (and you should totally be a vegan).

One of the main arguments for eating meat is that animal flesh (and yes, it is flesh you are eating) is a complete protein. We as humans need an essential set of amino acids that build and make up protein within our bodies. These amino acids are all found in animal meat. It is more difficult to have the proper amino acid intake when eating a vegan or vegetarian diet. However, it is not that hard and definitely not impossible. That's what's so great about Quinoa. It is a complete protein, just like meat. All of your essential amino acids are there! The bad news is, though, that Quinoa is one of the few complete proteins in the vegetable kingdom. Sad face.

But that doesn't mean that vegans need to eat Quinoa at every meal. There are plenty of combinations of foods that, when eaten together, provide all the essential amino acids that you would find in meat. For a quick synopsis, click here. Basically, if you combine a grain with a nut, or a grain with a bean, you'll be getting the same amino acids you would be getting by eating flesh. (Ew, flesh.)

There is an extremely bright side to this, though! If you get your essential acids through a plant-based diet, your food is in and out and doesn't have the chance to mess around with all your tubing (all 24 feet of it). Think of what would happen if you threw a slab of meat outside and let it sit for three days. It would rot and get totally rancid and disgusting. That's what's happening when you choose to eat meat. It takes our bodies 72 hours to process meat. On the inside we're running a temperature equivalent to a nice and toasty central Florida day. As that meat sits in our systems for those 3 days, it basically begins to rot inside of you. Filth.

I'm not trying to argue that no one or no animal is meant to eat meat. However, I think if we compare our internal structures, it's obvious that as our bodies have adapted and evolved, we no longer are made to process meat. Take a jungle cat, like a Jaguar. Their intestines are crazy short, so the meat they eat is in and out in a day. It doesn't sit around and cause problems in their systems for days on end. These cats will usually go and rest for days after a feeding as well as their bodies need to recover from the energy expended in digesting their meal. I don't know about you, but I definitely don't have that time or energy to spend just on recovering from a meal.

Although my opinion is clear, it's obviously your own choice what you want to do and eat. But if you are going to pick a meat to eat, at least eat fish and steer clear of pork and beef. Fish is the easiest for our bodies to deal with where as pork and beef are torture for your poor grumbly tumbly.

So, now that I'm done with my lecture (and it was quite riveting if I say so myself...), I'll move on the recipe section of tonight's blog. While you may object or disagree with the above sentiments, there's no way you could disagree with my Cinco de Mayo extravaganza's yummy deliciousness (and it was totally vegan!!).

First, I made a super yum guacamole. 3 avocados (make sure they're squishy when you squeeze them), half an onion finely chopped, tomatoes (I use about 20 grape tomatoes cut into fourths), the juice of one lime, fresh garlic, salt and pepper, and chopped cilantro. Mix it all together and you've got beautiful yumminess in a bowl. It's always a pleaser. Add some fresh hot peppers (like jalapeño) if you want some extra spice. Serve with your favorite chips.

Then I made the best recipe ever. Black beans with Quinoa. You all definitely need to try this. Even the meat-loving huz gobbled it up. You'll need:

3/4 cup Quinoa
2 tblsp. oil (I like olive)
1 1/2 c. Vegetable Stock
1 onion
2 Cloves of Garlic
1 can black beans
1 can corn
1/4 tsp. Cayenne Pepper
Salt and Pepper
1/2 c. chopped Cilantro

So now, that you have everything. Make it.

Sauté the chopped onion and garlic in the oil till they're a bit brown. Then throw in the Quinoa and the veggie stock. Bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat, add the spices, cover it, and let it simmer for 25 minutes. Drain and rinse the beans and corn then mix them and the cilantro in with the cooked Quinoa. It's uber delish. If you like it hot (and who doesn't, nudge nudge wink wink) add a little extra cayenne pepper.

I then made myself a margarita garnished with a strawberry (organic strawberry of course).

So I am now looking at the time and realizing that this blog took wayyyyy longer to get through than it should have. I have a feeling the margs had something to do with  it....