Chris, of Mele Cotte is hosting the 3rd annual “Cooking to Combat Cancer” event this month.
The purpose, as the name implies, is to remind all of us that we are what we eat.
The National Cancer Institute estimates that one third of all cancer deaths may be diet related.
In case you don’t understand that statement let me put it another way:
A bad diet can kill you.
Most people would agree that drunks, driving, cause or contribute to road fatalities.
Thankfully, more and more people, knowing this, choose not to drink and drive.
Most people would agree that smoking causes/contributes significantly to lung cancer.
Thankfully, more and more people, knowing this, choose not to smoke.
The National Cancer Institute, Mayo Clinic, and other organizations, have given us, (humans) the information we need to eat a healthy, diet that will help prevent cancer.
Now, all we have to do is choose to eat the good foods.
Visit Mele Cotte this weekend to find lots of wonderful, delicious food that will help in the fight against the Big C.
We all know that it effects all of us, in one way or another. Time to start fighting back.
To set you on the right track, here’s a colorful salad:
Avocado: can help against liver cancer
Carrot, raw: can help against many cancers, including breast, lung, prostate and stomach
Garlic: can help against stomach and colon cancer as well as slow tumor growth
Tomato: contains lycopene which helps against breast, prostate, and pancreas cancers
Soy: helps against breast cancer
Spinach: helps against prostate and ovarian cancers
Quinoa: This grain is so healthy it’s almost scary….
I could go on…but you get the idea.
Spinach, Quinoa and Vegetable Salad with Soy Vinaigrette
2 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless
1 tbs Teriyaki sauce
2 tsp walnut oil
1/2 cup quinoa cooked in 1 cup chicken stock
1 avocado
1/2 yellow pepper
2 carrots
2oz (60gr) sharp white cheddar cheese
4oz (125gr) cherry tomatoes
6oz (180gr) spinach
Cut chicken into bit-size pieces. Heat Teriyaki sauce and walnut oil in a large skillet. Add chicken and stir-fry until cooked through.
Cook quinoa in chicken stock for 15 minutes, until done.
Cut avocado into slices. Cut pepper into matchsticks. Shred carrots using a vegetable peeler. Cut cherry tomatoes in half. Crumble cheddar.
Put the washed. dried spinach into a large bowl. Add half the vinaigrette and toss to coat. Spread the quinoa on top of the spinach. Arrange the rest of the ingredients on top of quinoa. Drizzle with a bit more vinaigrette and serve, remaining vinaigrette on the side.
Soy Balsamic Vinaigrette
1 1/2 tbs soy sauce
1 1/2 tbs balsamic vinegar
1 tsp Dijon-style mustard
5 tbs olive oil
Whisk together soy sauce, vinegar and mustard. Slowly drizzle in olive oil, whisking to combine.
Have a glass of red wine with the salad and some berries for dessert…..
See how easy it is to eat the good foods?
For more recipes check out my internet cook book: Easy Gourmet Dinners
I love quinoa, we keep the red and the blond here, I haven’t come across any of the other kinds. We are in a health turn around too. Yay for super foods!
Looks yummy!
Awesome concept and it is very amazing how much our diet controls everything in our life including mood and energy level. My grandma use to be dang near militant about we are exactly what we eat. I can still hear her scream you want to shove those crappy fries in your mouth go ahead and don’t complain to me when you feel like crap. Of course she instead pushed pig’s feet, liver, heart, and everything offal on us.
Great use of amazing flavors and can never go wrong with quinoa. I am going to have to give this a shot for my pre-softball energy meal too.
Everything about this salad it wonderful! Thank you for participating in CCC3. You’re always so supportive. 😉
What a fantastic way to fight the disease with foods like this! Your salad looks delicious~
Jeff, the think I remember most about meals when I was a child was very strict portion control… And, snacks, of course were ‘crap’
Natashya, I have both as well – the red is very tasty, but not very photogenic… I think there is black, too.
Chris, you’re welcome, sweetie ;-))
Jann, and it seems so simple…why don’t we all do it all the time?
Sometimes it doesn’t feel like we have a choice but we always do. I hope I make the right choice often enough to stay healthy. I know this salad would be a very easy choice! Beautiful with all the best stuff in it.
Isn’t it nice to know that the things that taste great are also good for us?
But, not necessarily inexpensive. I just went to the store to buy quinoa to try it out in a multigrain bread and decided against it. $6.00 for about 300gm seems just a little too steep. (Amazingly, when I googled about quinoa, I came across a website promoting it, saying that one of its many virtues was how inexpensive it was.) I think I’ll stick with using oat groats….
Katie,
That looks very healthy and delicious at the same time 🙂 I always promise myself to give quinoa second chance… the first time it tasted awful in salad with pomegranate and pine nuts. I really must try again.
Tanna, sometimes it’s just too much work to make the right choice, too… for my lazy ass, anyway.
Elizabeth, wow, it’s a lot cheaper here, around 3 euros for 500gr. Try another shop, maybe health food store..
Margot, maybe it was untreated and needed to be washed. Try it again
Up to a third?? Good grief. Scary what we do to ourselves!
I love the sound of this salad and it’s a veritable smorgasbord of healthy, delicious stuff!