Part of keeping your magnesium levels up is making sure to include as many magnesium-rich foods in your diet, while at the same time avoiding foods that deplete your body’s mineral stores.
The most frustrating part of eating a well-balanced, and nutrient-packed diet is finding new ways to cook the same thing in order to stave off palate boredom. For this reason, we’re hoping to give your taste buds a little boost by providing an eclectic assortment of magnesium-rich recipes on an ongoing basis. To kick off our recipe posts, we’ve decided to take a quinoa base as our recipe theme and go from there.
A fantastic low cholesterol, low sodium food, quinoa is high in both magnesium and phosphorous. It’s also chock full of [all 9] essential amino acids, riboflavin (B2), manganese, and zinc. Quinoa is easily digestible by our system – which means that not only are all those vitamins and minerals readily assimilated, but our gut bacteria is kept happy and GI Tract kept healthy. Did we forget to mention it’s also gluten free?
Breakfast
Delicious Quinoa Breakfast Porridge
Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa (all red or a mix of red, white, or black)
- 1 3/4 cups water (or use milk for a creamier consistency)
- 1/3 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup sliced almonds
- Maple syrup or honey
- Other: Any other fruits or nuts that you would like to add (hint hint: raisins, apple slices or blueberries)
Preparation
Wash quinoa thoroughly in water in a bowl, rubbing grains and letting them settle before pouring off water. Repeat if necessary. (This will remove bitter saponins)
Drain washed quinoa well in a large fine-mesh sieve.
In a heavy medium saucepan add water and cinnamon and bring to a boil, then add quinoa. Reduce heat to low and cook, covered, until fluid is absorbed and quinoa is tender, about 15-25 minutes. If you plan on adding raisins, add them during this process so that they have time to become tender.
Remove pan from heat and let stand, covered, 5-10 minutes. Fluff with a fork and keep covered to keep warm.
Serve quinoa and top with almonds, maple syrup or honey, milk, sea salt and any other delicious toppings that strike your fancy.
(Our favorite combination is blueberries, almonds, and maple syrup with a thick slab of organic, pastured butter dug into the center and a splash of raw milk around the edges.)
Appetizer/Snack
Cheesy Quinoa Cakes
(slightly modified) from Spoon Fork Bacon
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked* quinoa
- 2/3 cup grated fontina cheese
- 3 tablespoons all purpose flour (we used brown rice flour)
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
- 2 ½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (we used coconut oil)
- salt to taste
*See Cooking with Quinoa.
Preparation
Place all ingredients, except for the oil, into a mixing bowl and stir together until well combined. Season with salt and allow the mixture to sit for 5 minutes.
Pour oil into a large sauté pan and place over medium heat.
Form ¼ cup patties with the quinoa mixture and place in the heated sauté pan. (this will have to be done in batches)
Cook quinoa cakes for about 5 minutes on each side. Repeat with the remaining patties until all of the cakes have been cooked. Serve warm.
Delicious when dunked into nice cold sour cream!
Dinner
Quinoa with Spinach & Balsamic Roasted Mushrooms
from Whole Foods
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
- 1 pear, peeled, cored and cut into chunks (not too ripe)
- 1 garlic clove, halved
- 2 pounds portobello mushrooms, stemmed and gills scraped out
- 1 cup red quinoa
- 3 cups tightly packed fresh spinach, chopped
- 4 green onions, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted
- 1/8 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Preparation
Preheat oven to 475°F.
Put vinegar, mustard, pear and garlic in a blender with 1/3 cup water and blend until smooth, about 1 minute, to make the dressing. Cut mushrooms into chunks and combine in a large mixing bowl with 1/4 cup of the dressing. Spread mushrooms in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast until tender, stirring occasionally, 15-25 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly.
While mushrooms roast, prepare quinoa. (See Cooking with Quinoa)
Combine mushrooms, quinoa, spinach, green onions, almonds, salt, pepper and 1/2 cup more dressing in a large, wide serving bowl. Stir to mix well. Serve with remaining dressing on the side.
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If you enjoyed those delicious quinoa recipes, stay tuned for more as we continue to serve up magnesium-rich meal ideas.
We encourage you to try and utilize organic sources for your ingredients when possible as this is both a healthier option as well as more sustainable for our environment.