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it’s 6 o’clock and I’m totally drinking a giant pint of green smoothie made with celery, clementines, apples, a cucumber and god knows what. I feel so grown up. :~

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quinoa vegetable paella

1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cup quinoa
1/4 teaspoon saffron, crushed
2 teaspoons spanish smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
dash cayenne
1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes
1 red or yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 14-ounce can light red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
2 3/4 - 3 cups vegetable broth
2 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced
1 cup fresh or frozen peas
1 can artichoke hearts, rinsed and cut into quarters

sauté onion and garlic in a deep non-stick skillet with a little water until soft. add the quinoa (properly washed) and saffron and cook, stirring, for another 2 minutes. add paprika, cumin, cayenne, tomatoes, peppers, beans, and 2 3/4 cups vegetable broth. bring to a boil, reduce heat to very low, and cook covered for 15 minutes.

after 15 minutes, check to see if more broth is needed. If it looks dry, add the remaining vegetable broth. place the zucchini on top of the quinoa and re-cover. cook for about 5 more minutes, until quinoa is done. remove the cover, stir in the peas, and cook uncovered until peas are warm and all liquid is absorbed, about 5 minutes. arrange the artichoke hearts on the top and serve. makes about 6 servings.

per serving: 288 kcal; 3g total fat; 13 g protein; 55 g carbohydrate; 307 mg sodium; 10 g fiber.

too many ingredients for me to cook on a normal day, but maybe a nice holiday idea.

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smoothies!

basic green smoothie (which, honestly, I still haven’t got the guts to try)

1 head of red lettuce
3 big leafes of green cabbage
1 cucumber, peeled
1 kiwi (better if it’s ripe)
juice of 1 orange
1/3 chopped pinneaple
a handful of soaked raisins 
juice of 1/2 lemon
nuts, better if soaked (I used 2 walnuts, 2 tablespoons of sunflower seeds and 2 tablespoons of pumpkin seeds)
optional: pieces of dark chocolate and a handful of granola or dry cereals

chop all the ingredients. reserve some of the chopped fruit to garnish, the nuts and the raisins. 
blend all the veggies, juice and fruit (except the reserved). if it’s not sweet enough, you can add suggar, maple syrup or any sweetener of your choice.

(via talesofaspoon)

fruit smoothie

1 cup apple juice
1 frozen peeled banana
2 cups fresh or frozen strawberries, cherries, blueberries and/or raspberries

in blender, process the juice and banana together. gradually add remaining ingredients. you may need to stir above blade level while blending if using frozen fruit.