Alkaline Vegan Quinoa Recipe for Clearing your Complexion, and Boosting your Energy!

Meet my favorite summer creation - Dasha's Vegan Power Salad! Those of you who have taken an acne workshop with me know how much I stress the importance of alkalizing the body! It is a proven way to get rid of candida, and starving the yeast that can create a toxic environment in the gut, acidic bodily fluids, and acne-prone skin. The reason I call this a power salad, is because quinoa is so rich in protein, and so are black beans! Quinoa is a power-grain, because it is alkalizing, and easy to digest - it's a beautiful alternative to rice and porridge that is easy on the stomach, but has the ability to fill you up!

Today's recipe is a cold salad of organic boiled quinoa, with black beans, organic tomatoes, organic cucumbers and organic orange bell peppers. Tomatoes, beans, and orange bell peppers are not alkalizing, but cucumbers and quinoa are. If you are on a strict alkaline diet, substitute these ingredients with red bell peppers, zucchini, red onions, scallions, broccoli, cauliflower, cranberries, or haricot vert. I always try to change up the ingredients in my favorite salads, so if you're not on the strict candida plan, feel free to add avocado, boiled beets, pine nuts, raisins, fresh corn, garlic (yes!), ginger, or whatever else floats your boat! 

While the quinoa is cooling, I marinade my black beans in lemon juice and Barlean's flax seed oil, then I combine all ingredients an a big bowl, and add chopped cilantro, basil, and a pinch of salt! Quinoa is super easy to prepare! 1 cup of quinoa to 2 cups of water. Bring it to a boil, turn off the heat, and cover the pot for 15 minutes. Once 15 minutes have elapsed, take it out of the pot and cool in a separate bowl, or eat it hot - just like rice! Enjoy!

Ingredients (I use only organic ingredients):
1 cup quinoa (dry)
1 cup boiled black beans
1 large tomato
1 cucumber
1 orange bell-pepper
5-7 leaves of basil
1/4 bunch of parsley
juice of 1 lemon
1 tbs flax seed oil