This dish combines quinoa and chickpeas, foods rich in fiber, protein, vitamins, and minerals.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of quinoa (200 g)
• 2 glasses of water (500 ml)
• 1 ½ cups of boiled chickpeas (300 g)
• chopped fresh parsley (50 g)
• 1 ½ cups of chopped spinach (300 g)
• chopped fresh cilantro (50 g)
• chopped green onion (65 g)
• feta cheese (65 g)
• pumpkin seeds (to taste)

Ingredients for dressing:

• ¼ cup olive oil (40 ml)
• 4 tablespoons of lemon juice (40 ml)
• 2 tablespoons of tahini (30 g)
• 1 large chopped clove of garlic
• ½ teaspoon of fine sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper (to taste)

Instruction:

1. First, rinse the quinoa in a sieve.
2. Then pour it into a pot of water.
3. Cook on medium heat and then reduce the heat.
4. Cook for 15 minutes.
5. After that, remove from heat, cover, and let stand for 5 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, toast the pumpkin seeds for 3-5 minutes until golden brown.
7. Put them in a salad bowl and let them cool for a few minutes.

For the salad dressing:

1. Place all dressing ingredients in a small bowl.
2. Taste and add more salt or lemon if needed.
3. When the quinoa is ready, pour it into a large bowl and add the chickpeas, spinach, parsley, cilantro, green onions, feta cheese, and toasted seeds.
4. Pour the dressing over the salad and mix well.

Picture Credit: Unsplash

1. Spinach
Maybe in childhood, spinach did not improve your mood – many children hate this delicacy and get a hysterical attack at the mere sight of green mush. However, this vegetable has so much folic acid in it that it effectively improves the mood, and in addition it can protect against depression! In addition, spinach contains one more magical ingredient: tryptophan. It is an electrically neutral amino acid that has relaxing and relaxing properties. To fully enjoy the benefits of this relationship, however, you should eat vegetable in raw form.

2. Bananas
Tough day? You’ll need a good top-up – what about a little … zinc? Eating a banana can not only improve your mood, but even … ensure a calmer sleep!
This fruit also increases the secretion of neurotransmitters in the brain that respond to the transmission of signals between the nerve cells. Thanks to this, your mind feels stimulation, and thus – the mood becomes much better.

3. Mussels
These seafood contain a lot of vitamin B12, which positively affects our concentration and ability to remember. It is necessary for the proper functioning of the entire nervous system. Tasty mussels will help you when you need a lot of energy, and also improve the work of your brain. Thanks to the zinc content, they will make you more resistant to stress!

4.Saffron 

This spice has been used for many centuries as a natural “enhancer” and anti-depressant! It’s very simple – just add it to your favorite food! Saffron stimulates our nervous system to secrete more dopamine and serotonin, thus affecting the mood identically as tempting (and much more calorific) chocolate. It’s worth to like this spice!

5. Salmon
This fish is rich in omega-3 fatty acids. Thanks to this, it relieves the symptoms of depression! In addition, it contributes to increased production of so-called happiness hormone, or serotonin. Specialists recommend that you eat salmon 2-3 times a week. Interestingly, some studies indicate that eating a dish prepared from this fish can even ease menstrual pain!

6. Celery
Maybe you did not expect this vegetable in such a statement, but the facts are irrefutable! Celery reduces the level of stress hormone in the blood. The flavors contained in this vegetable have a calming effect. For centuries it has also been considered a natural aphrodisiac.

Image credit: ulleo, SusannWeiss

Spinach has a lot of provitamin A, B vitamins, vitamins C, P, PP, D2. Spinach is rich in mineral salts, in particular, with iron compounds. In terms of protein content is second only to green peas, young pods of beans and meat. Is the champion in the content of iodine, which invigorates the spirit and protects against aging.
And what is important: all these useful substances are resistant to cooking and canning!

Contraindications

Spinach has a lot of oxalic acid, so you need to limit its consumption by children, people suffering from kidney stones, gout, liver and gall bladder. However, they say that during cooking this acid is neutralized by the addition of milk and cream, and in fresh spinach leaves it is not at all scary.

Young spinach is good to eat raw in salads and in dip-based sauces, and older, coarse leaves are boiled, fried and stewed.

Unwoveled spinach wrap in a damp cloth and store in the refrigerator for no longer than two days. Before use, rinse it and cut off the dried parts. For longer periods, spinach should be frozen.

Image credit: kaboompics

How to cook

Spinach has many valuable flavor properties. But, I suspect, the main thing, for which it is appreciated by cooks – is a persistent emerald color, which is not afraid of any heat treatment.

It is noteworthy that when cooking spinach in a saucepan do not add liquid! Before preparing fresh spinach, it is washed, cut and placed in a pan with a lid without water. Keep on fire for several minutes, turning over several times. Then drain the released moisture and wring it through a sieve.

Spinach goes well with bacon, nutmeg, cream, cheese, cedar nuts, tomatoes and natto.

A few unconventional recipes

Cabbage rolls in spinach leaves

Ingredients:

• 750 g ground beef
• 40-50 pcs. large spinach leaves
• 75 grams of rice
• 2 buns of green onion
• 1 onion
• 50 g of butter
• juice of 1 lemon
• 2.5 tablespoons flour
• 5 tablespoons of sour cream
• Dill greens, salt and pepper – to taste
• Vegetable oil for frying

Dip the spinach leaves for a few seconds into boiling water.

Prepare the filling. Fry in a deep frying pan the chopped onion until golden brown. Add the minced meat to the frying pan and fry for about 5 minutes. Then add the rice and continue to fry for another 5-7 minutes.

Wrap the mince into the spinach leaves. Fold the resulting cabbage rolls in a pan in rows, sprinkle finely chopped onions and greens of dill, pour warm water to the level of the penultimate row of cabbage rolls, pepper, salt and cook over low heat. When the rice is almost ready, add mixed with butter, lemon juice and put the pan, without covering the lid, in the oven.

Serve with fresh sour cream.

Image credit: FonthipWard

Creamy spinach sauce

Ingredients:

• 10-30 pcs. large spinach leaves
• 200 g of 30% cream
• 20-30 g butter
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• ½ teaspoon sugar
• 2 cloves of garlic (if anyone likes)
• Salt, pepper – to taste

Rinse the spinach leaves with running water, pour into a colander, pour over the boiling water and wring out excess liquid. Do this with a knife until the greenish juice begins to appear. Grind the spinach almost to a homogeneous mass.

Heat the cream in a deep frying pan over low heat, add butter, salt, pepper, add sugar, lemon juice and mix thoroughly. Why start slowly add the spinach mass to the sauce, stirring constantly. When the sauce boils, remove from heat.