The Hemp Connection:
pasta

I went to graduate school in Boulder, Colorado. I loved it there, but I have to admit, it was a place where people seemed to more easily grab onto esoteric, off-the-beaten-path ideas than they did good, solid, evidence based concepts. So when someone introduced me to quinoa, I politely listened and figured it was something I'd only find in a local vegetarian eatery.

But the grain has stayed around, and I've grown to love it. If you have PCOS, quinoa can be a nice carbohydrate to eat because it's very high in protein; one half cup serving has about 12 grams of it! It's also a decent source of manganese, magnesium, iron, tryptophan, and copper, which from time to time appear as potential players in the PCOS picture.

As you can see in the picture, quinoa looks (and it also tastes) a lot like cous-cous. It's very easy to prepare, you simply have to pour boiling water over it and let it sit for a few minutes until it's cooked.

Yesterday I was at Whole Foods and tried one of the pilaf-style salads they often had with quinoa. I also love their quinoa cake, kind of like a veggie burger. It's one of my favorite treats. I have even seen it cooked as a breakfast cereal, with toppings much like you'd put on oatmeal.

Recently, pasta made with quinoa has become available in stores like Whole Foods. I discovered while looking for a photo of the product for this blog post, that you can buy this brand (Ancient Harvest) online at amazon.com.

It's quite convenient and something anyone who's trying to eat more protein and less carbohydrate, but who just doesn't feel satisfied without some kind of starch to round out the dinner plate.

Quinoa is available in most grocery stores…but if you're not finding it, it is also available online. Click here to buy quinoa online

Disclaimer: inCYST does have an associate relationship with amazon.com.

I demo'd these noodles in my last Whole Foods class and they were such a hit I wanted to share with the rest of you.

Shirataki noodles are noodles made from the root of the Konjac plant. They are gelatinous and high in fiber, and have very little carbohydrate. Here is more information about them on Wikipedia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shirataki_noodles

These noodles are fairly easy to find in my city, and we found them last week in Los Angeles. They are packaged cooked, and are in a plastic bag in the refrigerator case. You do need some type of cooking to heat them up, but that can be microwave, skillet, whatever you choose. Here is a picture of them so you know what you are looking for.

One of my clients likes to eat them with a little bit of salmon and olives. Another one shared this recipe:

Ingredients- Package of frozen mixed vegetables, olive oil, garlic, shirataki angel hair noodles, soy sauce, sesame seeds, pepper to taste
1. In a large skillet, sautee frozen mixed vegetables in olive oil
2. Microwave the noodles for 2 minutes
3. Add noodles to vegetables
4. sprinkle soy sauce and seeds and ENJOY!

For more information and ideas, visit www.shiratakinoodles.net.