My doctor recently told me to avoid foods with gluten, which isn’t a big deal for me. Unfortunately, he also said to stop eating soy replacement foods, which was pretty devastating to me, the hardcore vegetarian. And on top of that, I’m not one of those vegetarians who loves beans and vegetables. Nope. I love(d) Morningstar Farms fake chicken and bacon. But my health comes first, so in the spirit of doctor’s orders, I’ve said farewell to soy, wheat, barley, oats, and spelt. (Well, not spelt so much. Can you say goodbye to a food you’ve never eaten?) I also am apparently a little low on protein and iron, so in desperation, I’ve begun experimenting with power-packed grains. Quinoa is pretty much at the top of the list. Revered by the ancient Mesoamericans, it’s one of the few grains (technically, it’s not actually a grain, but whatever) that is a complete protein, so it doesn’t have to be paired with beans to give me maximum benefits.

As someone who doesn’t cook, I was a little daunted to just buy some bulk quinoa and start from scratch. So luckily, I found this French Herb blend from Seeds of Change. It’s comprised of quite a few organic ingredients, and although it’s a bit high in sodium, I can usually stretch out the package to last 3 or 4 days. It’s pretty delicious, with the unexpected side benefit of having all the same spices as the gumbo I used to love. When I was a kid, my Dad made a killer chicken and sausage gumbo, but I had to give it up when I went veggie. Now I get a bunch of the same flavor notes in a super grain. Not too shabby.