Dare You To...

The winner of the SlimKicker Challenge & Kitchen Scale Giveaway is Maree!The folks at SlimKicker loved your idea for a daily walk 20 minutes after dinner.  Maree, please email me at dareyoutoblog (at) gmail (dot) com to claim your prize!  Thank you to all who entered -- there were SO many great ideas, and I'll be following up on some of them for future dares ;)
Now for the yummy part: When I promised you a recipe way too long ago, I meant it.


Nothing warms my heart more than readers acting on inspiration from Dare You To.  Just so you know: your tweets, emails, and comments have meant the world, and I encourage you to continue sharing how DYT has inspired you to make positive changes!


When my friend Marcy said, "I WAS INSPIRED BY YOUR BLOG ... to challenge myself and do something new," I knew I had to share her story. 

She was referring to my dare to cook with a new food: Quinoa, and "I invented a recipe tonight" was the subject line in my inbox.

"It'…

Yumyum. I'm now a quinoa pro. Doesn't it seem like just yesterday that this grain was a new food? So tasty, so easy, and so good for you! A complete protein masquerading as a grain! Sneaky. Learn a little about quinoa's nutritional profile here. Well, even though I'd mastered a basic quinoa, there's always room for improvement...

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Last week, I tried a new cooking technique, and it was a huge success. I have to direct you to Peas & Crayons for Jenn's instructions for making FLUFFY quinoa. I know that she and I and this recipe were all meant to be, bonded together by our love for fluffy unicorns.

The trick is rinsing the quinoa first, and then cooking it dry for a minute before adding water.


Brilliance. The quinoa was so fluffy, not bitter, just like Jenn promised. Wheeee win!!


But first, I sauteed mushrooms, pre-roasted butternut squash, and brussels sprouts. #veggies


When the quinoa is ready and fluffed, in go the veggies! Anndddd STIR.


I scoop…

Cook with a New Food -- one you've never tried, or one you never even heard of...

QUINOA.
It’s one of those foods that makes you wonder if somebody recently invented it.  Where’s it been hiding all these years?  Why was it lurking in the shadows until its recent popularity?  Whatever the answers, I’m glad these little grains of light have caught my attention now!




Pronounced “Keen-wah”, quinoa is a grain-like seed that you can do just about anything with.  Its flavor is light enough, with just a hint nuttyness, that you can serve it under any vegetable, protein, sauce, you name it, similarly to how rice can pair well with whatever.  I only started eating quinoa over the past year, but never made it myself.  My friend Alyssa cooks it often, so she inspired my use of it for my first attempt at cooking it.  I’ve got to admit I was a little embarrassed by how easy it was.  It’s funny how a silly little unfamiliar word can intimidate you.
But don’t let it!  This newly popular food is choc…