Benefits: Heart + Metabolism

　　My mother innovated constantly to satisfy her two sons' demanding palates, so she adapted quinoa with brown rice to make one of our all-time favorite foods: sushi. Once called "Inca Gold" due to its stamina-building properties, quinoa contains all the essential amino acids, rendering it a complete protein food. Its high manganese content supplies the body's production of superoxide dismutase, an enzyme that protects against free radical damage to your energy factory. Consider this an energizing longevity recipe!

　　

Ingredients

Serves 4

　　1 cup sticky brown rice

　　1/2 cup quinoa

　　8 ounces baked bean curd/tofu, cut into long thin strips

　　4 to 5 carrots cut into matchsticks

　　4 nori seaweed sheets

　　2 pickled cucumbers (low sodium), cut into matchsticks

　　2 avocados, peeled, pitted, and sliced

　　Cilantro sprigs, for garnish

　　Pickled ginger, for garnish

　　

Step 1

1. Place the rice, quinoa, and 3 cups water into a rice cooker and cook according to the manufacturer's instructions. (You can also cook the rice and quinoa in 3 cups water in a pressure cooker for 15 minutes).

　　

Step 2

2. Bring a saucepan of water to a boil and cook the carrots until softened, about 30 seconds. Drain and rinse them under cold water.

　　

Step 3

3. Unroll a bamboo sushi mat on a work surface and put a sheet of nori on it. Wet your hands and divide the rice into 4 equal portions. Divide one portion into 4 small, firm balls and press them evenly onto the nori, covering the entire sheet with a thin layer of grains. Evenly spread one-quarter of the bean curd, one quarter of the carrots, one-quarter of the cucumbers, and one quarter of the avocado in the center of the rice. Using the mat as a guide, roll the topped nori tightly and evenly into a sushi roll, wetting the edges of the nori sheet with water if necessary, so it sticks together at the seam. Repeat three more times with the remaining nori, rice, and vegetables.

　　

Step 4

4. Slice the rolls into 1 1/2-inch-thick pieces with a sharp, wet knife and transfer them to a serving platter. Garnish with cilantro and pickled ginger.

　　Cooks' Note

　　Quinoa originated in the Andean region of South America, where it has been a highly valued food for thousands of years. It is usually identified as a grain, but actually it is the seed of the Chenopodium quinoa plant, and is related to beets and chard. Quinoa is a great source of magnesium, which is beneficial for blood pressure, heart health, and energy production. It is remarkable for its high amount of protein, which is unusually complete for a plant source in that it includes all nine essential amino acids. Quinoa is a good food to eat for balancing blood sugar; where other refined, low-protein grains contain high amounts of starch that can upset the blood sugar balance, quinoa helps keep blood sugar levels steady.

　　From Dr. Mao's Secrets of Longevity Cookbook: Eat to Thrive, Live Long, and Be Healthy by Dr. Mao Shing Ni. Text copyright © 2012 by Dr. Mao Shing Ni; photography copyright © by Philip Dixon. Published by Andrews McMeel Publishing, LLC.