You might have heard that what you put in your body is as important as what you put on it. One ingredient that checks both boxes, however, is quinoa, which is featured in Aveda’s new Damage Remedy™ line of hair products. Quinoa is high in protein, which is a building block of hair. Internally, quinoa’s high protein profile makes it “more nutritious than any other grain,” says chef Kate O’Donnell, author of The Everyday Ayurveda Cookbook.

 

Kate knows from experience. A few years ago, she struggled with digestive issues, so she adopted an Ayurvedic diet, rich in quinoa. “Quinoa is used a lot in Ayurvedic cooking because it is packed with protein in addition to being gluten-free, so it’s filling without being hard to digest,” says Kate. It’s also ideal for summer “when your body doesn’t tend to crave richer proteins like meat and cheese,” she says.

 

The following recipe for Kate’s “Everyday Steamed Salad Bowl” is super-easy to prepare—and has become the chef’s go-to summer lunch. Kate recommends soaking the grain overnight before boiling it for the creamiest outcome. “Try soaking one part quinoa in two parts water, and adding another part water when cooking,” she says. Kate herself likes to make big batches of quinoa so that she can use it throughout the day; “I love heating it up in almond milk for breakfast,” she adds.

 

 

Everyday Steamed Salad Bowl

 

Ingredients:
4 leaves lacinato kale
6 leaves rainbow Swiss chard
2 carrots
½ cup chopped red cabbage
½ cup sprouted mung beans (see page 248)
2 cups cooked basmati rice, white or brown
All-Seasons Salad Dressing (see below), and a handful of toasted sunflower seeds

 

Directions:
Remove the stems from the kale and chard and chop the leaves into 2-inch pieces. Place the greens in a large frying pan with 1 tbsp of water. Tightly cover the greens and steam sauté for 10 minutes.

Using a vegetable peeler or julienne peeler, slice the carrots into ribbons. Add to the steam sauté, along with the chopped cabbage and sprouted mung beans. Steam 5 minutes more. Remove from the heat and leave the lid slightly ajar.

 

Make beds of rice in 2 wide bowls or plates by spreading 1 cup of rice over the bottom of each bowl. Divide the steamed vegetables on top of the rice. Pour half of the All-Seasons Salad Dressing over each serving and sprinkle with toasted sunflower seeds.
 

 

 

All-Seasons Salad Dressing

 

Ingredients:

½ cup fresh lemon juice
¼ cup cold-pressed olive oil
1 tsp Everyday Digestive Salts or 1 tsp salt plus 1 tsp
Everyday Savory Spice Mix
dash of pepper

 

Directions:
Shake all the ingredients together in a pint-size jar.
Keeps in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

 

 

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