Quinoa & More Super Foods

So many magazine stories I flip through and think, "That's cool," and then move on with life. Yes, part of reading a mag is for pleasure and escape, but I decided I wanted to really act on the service nuggets that stick out to me. Step one is tearing out the ones that speak to me, and step two is doing it.

For February I did something! I tore out Real Simple's cover story on 30 superfoods to eat, made a list, and cooked quinoa ("Keen-wah"), the only grain that is a complete protein. I found its grainy grains, somewhere in between the size of couscous and rice, a light texture perfect for a side dish or salad.

I threw it together veggies in my fridge (red onion, bell pepper, broccoli, and parsley) and some red wine vinegar and olive oil for a fresh and hearty lunch salad. Along with a bit of chicken salad, it kept my taste buds and stomach content til dinner.

Here's the rest of Real Simple's list. I broke my superfood report card down by the foods I already eat, with some notes about how I like to eat them, and the ones on my to-try list. I started to write about how they are all good in salads, but it got redundant.

• almonds- sugared as a snack, nutty crunch for salads and rice
• avocados- guacamole! guacamole! sandwich topper.
• black beans- best-ever Black Bean Hummus
• blueberries- with granola & yogurt for breakfast
• broccoli- roasted as a side dish, in pasta (or quinoa) salads
• chicken breasts- the base of dinner more often than not
• edamame- salted as snack, Roasted Garlic-Edamame Spread
• eggs- a superfood we can put in baked goods, horray!
• extra-virgin olive oil- salad dressings, cooking meat & veggies, everywhere
• kidney beans- chili!
• kiwi- snacking
• lentils- Lemony Lentil Stew
• mushrooms- sauteed to top chicken or steak or anything really
• oatmeal- nuked, baked with berries
• oranges- sliced for breakfast
• peanut and almond butters- toast topper
• pumpkin- smoothies, dips, pancakes, bread, French toast, you name it
• skim milk- drink of choice
• spinach- salad base, Garlicky Spinach Dip, Spinach Brownies
• sweet potatoes- oven-fried, baked as side dish
• walnuts- pesto, muffins
• whole-grain pasta- under spaghetti sauce
• wild salmon-mmm grilled, with mango salsa in summertime
• yogurt- smoothie base, mayo substitute, snack

NEEDS IMPROVEMENT

• barley- as a rice replacement
• bulgur- another rice replacment
• chard- sauteed with some garlic and vinegar
• kale- the cool way to eat this leafy green seems to be as chips
• sardines- I've been meaning to try Jamie Oliver's yogurt-based Caesar dressing 

How do you like to eat these superfoods? Any your are thinking about trying?