#collagenplus

After a week of non-stop sugar, my body was screaming for anything that could help it promote collagen production, and I was reminded of the importance of a varied diet. Fortunately, AlgaeCal had published an article that helped me develop a recipe that would contain all the nutrients I had been lacking lately, with the help of supplemental articles naming additional sources of these nutrients written by the authors of Medical News Today, The Plant Way and with information provided by MyFoodData.com.

I started this process unsure of what I was making. The dish really just originated with a craving that I felt for lentils but with a lighter texture and flavor. The first thing I thought of was to supplement its heaviness with the fluffiness of quinoa, and then I scoured my spice and herb cabinet and got to brainstorming.

Parsley is an airy herb that could distract from the density of lentils, while oregano could tie the two flavors together with its earthy profile. Nutmeg is usually used in desserts but isn't overly sweet. I decided its nutty aroma could be a benefit in brightening the energy of our dish. I wasn't sure if I should use chili powder, paprika or Tabasco for heat, but I knew that would be necessary, so I seasoned my lentils with the rest of my seasonings and set these few spices aside for later.

I knew I wanted citrus, but I felt like lemon wouldn't take this dish the direction I wanted it to go and may not mix well with the lentils. I opted for orange and zested a naval orange into my pan of lentils with some olive oil. After the oil had been absorbed, I added cooked quinoa to help absorb the strong orange flavor and was pleasantly surprised by how both the texture and flavor were perfectly balanced.

After tasting the mixture, I decided chili powder would best compliment the concoction, even though it set up the dish for a heavier flavor than I had originally planned. After adding a generous helping of chili powder and a touch of salt, I set the Orange Quinoa aside to finish my rice.

After mixing the rice well with some teriyaki sauce, I played the dish with the Orange Quinoa stop the teriyaki rice, and it was delicious! We've got another winner here, folks!

I looked at what I had in front of me and realized that I had almost everything the human body needs to produce collagen. I had almost made a collagen supplement out of a meal. I thought about what sounded like the perfect thing to pair my concoction with before I ate too much; I wanted my cravings to still be based on my bodies deficiencies. I thought I needed something semi-sweet to sate those desires, so I melted some coconut oil with honey and stirred in cocoa powder. After the texture was smooth, I pulled some blueberries, cherries and mangos from the freezer, knowing that the chocolate would solidify to the fruit quickly. I tossed and stirred it together, careful not to let the frozen fruit clump together as the chocolate solidified, and poured the product of my creation onto the plate.

The bittersweet dessert added the perfect amount of variety to the flavor profile of our dish, and rounded off the necessary nutrients to create a full collagen supplemental meal:

Cocoa Powder for Zinc Blueberries and Cherries for Anthocyanin and Vitamin C Orange Zest and Mangos for Vitamins C and A Quinoa for Lysine and Arginine Lentils for Copper and Zinc Wild Rice for Manganese and Vitamin A

Orange Quinoa

Ingredients:

Quinoa

Lentils

Olive Oil

Parsley

Oregano

Nutmeg

Chili Powder

Zest of One Orange

Lemon Juice

Instructions:

Combine lentils, quinoa and oil in a pan on low heat with orange zest, spices and herbs

Mix thoroughly

Cover and allow to simmer while putting together collagen-boosting dessert

Serve over wild rice or sweet potatoes to round out necessary nutrients for collagen supplement

Sugar-Free Chocolate Fruit

Ingredients:

Coconut Powder

Honey

Cocoa Powder

Frozen Cherries

Frozen Blueberries

Frozen Mangoes

Instructions:

Melt coconut oil over low heat with honey

Mix in cocoa powder