Red Beans Over Quinoa with Kale - From the Engine 2 Diet

So I know I've been gone for awhile here at Meatlessly. There have been many changes (most positive) in my personal life that have
 taken some getting used to. So, hopefully I'm on my way to getting back in the swing of things :-) and blogging more regularly. Thanks for hanging in there. 

While I've been away I've been reading and watching food ducmentories, as usual. Recently I decided to look in to Rip Esselstyn's book The Engine 2 Diet. It's a great read and I highly recommend it. He shares many stories of his firefighting life as well as a very practical approach to live a Plant-based life and how to go from where you are now to eating plant-based in 28 days. 

Tonight dinner was inspire by one of the many recipes from that book. This recipe is Low fat, Low sodium, High nutrient, High protein, High fiber. And as to flavor, quite tasty. Now it's my habit to follow a recipe as close as possible the first time and then after I've tried it make my adjustments. That being said the recipe that follows is from the book. I would recommend a tiny liquid smoke in the beans and some salt and pepper, leave out the vinegar in the beans. Oh and replace 1/2 the water for white wine in all these. Also, I used veggie broth instead of water for added flavor. Lastly, I added garlic and cider vinegar to the Kale.

(original recipe can be found here on the Engine 2 Diet website)

water - 4 3/4 cup quinoa - 2 cups (rinsed) onion - 1 (chopped) bay leaf - 2 garlic (clove) - 1 (mined) bell pepper (green) - 2 (seeded and chopped) thyme - 1-2 teaspoons vinegar (cider) - 1 table spoon red beans - 2 cans (rinsed and drained) kale - 1 bunch (rinsed and coarsely chopped)

DIRECTIONS

For Cooking Quinoa:  Bring 3/4 cups of the water to a boil.  Add the rinsed quinoa, stir once, and cover.  Cook on medium heat for 25 minutes. If any water remains, cook uncovered for a few minutes longer.  The quinoa should not be soggy. Remove from heat, and let the quinoa sit covered for 10 minutes. Fluff gently with a fork. For Kidney Beans: Saute' the onion and bay leaves on medium heat in a sprayed saucepan for 5 minutes, until the onions are translucent.  Add the garlic and bell peppers, and cook for 5 minutes, until the peppers soften.  Add the thyme, vinegar, beans, and remaining 1 cup of water, and cook on low heat for 5 minutes, until broth thickens.  You can speed this process by mashing the beans a few times with a potato masher.  For Cooking Kale: Place coarsely chopped kale with 1/4 cup of water in a large covered pot on medium heat.  Cook the greens for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until wilted and tender.  Serve on a plate with each ingredient nestled side by side.