Just spreading the good word about others who are as passionate about green living as I am…

Los Angeles has dedicated an entire film festival to living a green lifestyle. Their tagline is “The Green Lifestyle Film Festival is an annual, global event which is designed to inspire, motivate and elevate us to more sustainable choices in our lives.” Check it out if you’re in LA during the weekend of 3/13-15, 2009. The film lineup is available at www.rawlifestylefilmfestival.com/joomla/

Also in LA…Green stylist to the stars, Deborah Lindquist is making fashion stylie and environmentally-conscious by mixing reincarnated clothing and earth-friendly fabrics. Her website says, “It’s a passion for the planet and the natural beauty of her west coast surroundings that inspire her.” Check out her latest collection at www.deborahlindquist.com/us/index_us.html

Check out the 1Thing…Here in Portland and also in thirteen other cities, Entercom, one of the five largest radio broadcasting companies in the US, has launched an online and on-air campaign dedicated to green, sustainable living.  According to the 1Thing website in Portland, the goal is “to provide approachable, relevant ways to start living green, from hints on energy efficient appliances to action to support sustainability like remembering to turn the water off when you brush your teeth. With rising concerns about the environment, we find ourselves in a position to educate, motivate and ultimately affect change. It’s a powerful responsibility, one we do not take lightly.  With our Sustainability Stewards, Entercom will leverage what we do well to help contribute to the community in which we work and play. We hope you find your [1 THING], and pass it on.”

I know what my 1 THING is…helping people simultaneously create a healthier body and a healthier planet…becoming LEAN and GREEN…and of course, getting into your dream pair of JEANS!  What’s your 1 THING? Check out the 1Thing in your city… www.1thingus.com

This cold and windy winter weather has made my skin dry and old-looking, like I have ten layers of dead skin on my face. So I decided today would be an at-home, pamper myself, spa day. My plan was to exfoliate, layer gobs of organic moisturizer on my face (rich black perlette grape is my fave), and gently massage my eye area with my favorite eye cream from Aveda. After digging through every drawer in my bathroom, I realized I was out of exfoliant. Thanks to Google and organic ingredients found in my refrigerator and pantry, I was able to make own. I may never buy store-bought exfoliant again!

The stuff I created myself made my skin ridiculously soft and positively glowing. Without measuring a thing, I mixed up used coffee grounds, chopped cucumber, lemon juice, plain yogurt, and raw honey in my food processor until it formed a thick paste. According to Natural Living for Women:

 coffee grounds are antibacterial, exfoliating and stimulating to the skin.

 lemon juice provides an astringent quality plus the vitamin C provides a boost.

 honey is healing and soothing along with an ability to help skin retain moisture.

 yogurt contains lactic acid which help skin slough off dead skin cells.

 cucumber provides cooling and astringent qualities.

I slathered the concoction on my clean face and let it sit for about ten minutes. Then using a circular motion with my fingers, I lightly massaged my face and neck for about two minutes and rinsed with warm water. Now I don’t have a cucumber for a salad tonight, but my face feels great and looks a million times better…and I saved a little money! Anyone else have a homemade beauty or health secret they’d like to share?

It’s been over a week since I last made an entry on my blog. I took a little vacation to enjoy the holidays and now I’m wondering if I succeeded…did I enjoy myself? I was still doing final, final, final edits on my book as late as Christmas Eve so consequently; I didn’t put my tree up until an hour before guests arrived. And I never adorned my tree with a single ornament. It did have very pretty and colorful lights and I decided good was good enough, which many of you know is a saying I live by and use repeatedly in my book. It was that kind of holiday. I can summarize my holiday experience in three words…poor, good, and great!

POOR

My eating/drinking habits during Cranium (game night) on December twenty-third.  I downed a bowlful of extra salty, dry roasted peanuts, drank way too much wine, and forgot to drink water. I woke up repeatedly that night feeling bloated, thirsty, and pissed off at myself.

GOOD

My eating/drinking habits over the following two days. I did indulge in a little wine, but I remembered to drink buckets of water, eat small portions, and abstain from salty nuts, candies, and cookies.  By the twenty-sixth, I was feeling considerably better.

GREAT

The tin of my sister’s whole wheat dark chocolate chip cookies made with ground flaxseed and wheat germ that she left at my house during Christmas. Lucky me! One tasty cookie and a perfect cup of coffee and I was able to sit back and reflect on the love, joy, and bliss I feel for my children and the rest of my family. We’re not perfect and we’re having a bit of drama presently, but I wouldn’t trade any of them for anything in the world!

Hope you all had a wonderful or at least “good is good enough” holiday too! Have a safe and joyous New Years.

YOU Docs: Healthy gifts will keep giving for many years

by Mike Roizen and Mehmet Oz

I caught this article in the YOU Docs syndicated column that appears every Wednesday in the “How We Live” section of the Oregonian. Mike Roizen and Mehmet Oz offer some healthy gift suggestions for all the different people in your life from the eco- conscious types to the glamour girls.  The following is an excerpt…click on the link at the end of this post to see the full column – definitely worth checking out! 

“When it comes to making everyone on your gift list happy, you can do better than wine or Prozac. Well, maybe not, but you can give gifts that keep giving. These days, gifts that make you healthy are also fun to get. Extra joy: Since they don’t break the bank, you can buy one of each for yourself, too. Here are some of our favorite things that give health for years to come:

Colleagues: Deep, dark chocolate. Splurge on the real cocoa-based stuff, with 70 percent or more cocoa (it might say “cocoa butter” on the label). The healthiest chocolate contains a higher percentage of cocoa and doesn’t contain milkfat or solids. What it does contain is flavonoids, which help keep your arteries young. But the real reason to give it, especially to your officemate or whoever does your review: Eating chocolate releases dopamine, a feel-good hormone. Recommended for a starter at most meetings.

Continue reading The YOU Docs column…

Need to take the chill off? I made a pot of my sister’s turkey soup recipe and ate it for a week. Spinach adds a wallop of healthy goodness to this hale and hearty, but easy to make soup. Rosemary, the secret ingredient, contributes its own special fragrance. Serve with a crusty whole wheat baguette and a garden salad. As always, don’t forget to use wholesome, organic ingredients, locally grown if possible. This recipe is in my book, The Denim Diet, along with thirty other great recipes that are healthy, filling, and perfect for your weight-reducing efforts.

Makes 8 servings

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 yellow onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

2 cups chopped carrots

8 cups vegetable broth

1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme

1 tablespoon minced fresh oregano

1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary

1 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

2 (15-ounce cans) white beans, rinsed and drained

1 cup cooked barley (optional)

3 cups diced cooked turkey breast

1 bunch spinach, stemmed and rinsed, or

1 (10-ounce) package thawed frozen chopped spinach

In a large soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat and sauté the onion, garlic, and carrots until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the vegetable broth, herbs, salt, pepper, beans, cooked barley (optional) and turkey. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce the heat to a simmer, and cook for 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the spinach until wilted.

It’s an icy, cold day in Portland, Oregon. Venturing out is not such a great idea. I tried yesterday and slipped three times before heading back home. Best to stay indoors right? Maybe not. I went to a small dinner party last night in my condo building and while we were playing Cranium, I downed about eight tollhouse cookies! And French vanilla ice cream! Totally uncharacteristic of me, but I must say, those cookies were goooooood!

No big deal…I’ll get a good workout in today and monitor my food intake more carefully over the next few days and all will be forgiven. Then I learned that my Jazzercise studio is closed today due to bad weather and may remain closed all week since the forecast is more cold weather. Darn! I can’t get out and walk either because of the icy streets.

I’m not totally helpless though. My building has tons of stairs and there are always pushups, sit-ups, and jumping jacks and dancing around the house to 80s tunes to get my heart rate up. I’ll burn those cookies off…maybe not all in one day, but they won’t get the best of me. If you slip up, make a plan, and then execute your plan. If you make it fun and involve Duran Duran, Madonna, and Bananarama, you’re bound to be successful.

Levi’s has a line of denim that is eco-friendly. Jeans for men and women are made from 100% organic and recycled cotton. Not only that, they’re super cute! They come in short, medium, and long, but I recommend going up a size in length and pairing them with a pair of tall boots creating a lean, flattering silhouette. I’m 5’6” and I would buy the long. The pair shown above is Levi’s® eco Mid Rise Boot 553™ Jeans and they go for under seventy bucks. Not bad for a pair of jeans that are stylie and good for the planet. Click here to find a Levi store near you. Many retail shops also sell Levis…Please let me know if you find the Eco line on sale anywhere!

I’ve been doing this empty nest business for almost four months and I’ve learned some things about myself. First of all, I was keeping the house neat and tidy for the kids. On my own, I’m a lot messier! I only pick up (or make my bed) if I’m absolutely positive someone is coming over and If I know them well, forget about it. Secondly, I really do hate to cook! I thought I hated to cook for my picky, ungrateful kids, but I find the whole process incredibly boring! Plus, by the time I’m hungry, I don’t have a lot of time. I’ve trained myself to only eat when I’m hungry so when that time has clearly arrived, I need something ASAP.

I’ve started to buy and make things that meet my criteria for healthy eating, but are also quick to make and relatively tasty. I have fairly low standards for taste…that’s one of my secret weapons for staying at my ideal, healthy weight. Here are a few 3 (main) ingredient bowls I made last week for lunch or dinner:

The Tuna Bowl – 4 ounces ahi tuna seared in olive oil, sea salt and freshly-ground pepper sliced over sautéed kale and one-half cup quinoa.

The Salmon Bowl – 4 ounces salmon seared in olive oil, sea salt and freshly-ground pepper cut into bite-size chunks over three-fourths cup whole wheat penne pasta with sautéed carrots.

The Veggie Bowl – one-half cup black beans, one-half cup whole wheat couscous, and sautéed spinach seasoned with sea salt, freshly-ground pepper, and grated Parmesan cheese.

Don’t get too hung up on how much of the kale, carrots, and spinach to use…use as much as you want. I use a lot! I also don’t obsess over how much olive oil to use. It’s a heart healthy oil that my body needs. So use what you need…probably around one tablespoon to sauté both the fish and the veggie. You can doctor these up by adding fresh herbs and an assortment of vegetables. Got any more ideas for empty nest bowls?

According to my calendar, it’s December first today. Here we are facing another holiday season. Before things get out of hand, let’s make a better plan for the holidays this year. Let’s arrive at January first, 2009 feeling great because we didn’t overdo it on unhealthy, fattening foods and we stuck to our exercise routines.

If you’re one of those people who loves the tradition of making cookies and other sweet treats, consider trying out some other crafty creations like making your own wrapping paper, tree ornaments, or healthy food items like raspberry vinegar or rosemary olive oil. I find that having all those sweet treats around doesn’t do anybody in the household any good. A nibble here and there and before you know it, your jeans are a little tighter.  

For holiday parties, eat a little something before you go like a small handful of walnuts and a piece of light string cheese. This will help prevent you from noshing on party appetizers and helps prevent the absorption of alcohol.  Overdoing it on alcohol packs on the calories and can greatly diminish your ability to make good eating choices. For dinner, skip the starchy side and stick with protein and vegetables and watch out for rich sauces.

Make time for regular grocery shopping. As people get busier this time of year, takeout food, fast food, and eating on the go becomes way more common. Having healthy, easy-to-prepare snacks on hand will help to keep you on your normal eating routine.

Make time for exercise. Put it on your calendar just like you would any other commitment and stick to it. Even a thirty minute walk inside the mall everyday will keep your energy up, your attitude positive, decrease your stress, and keep the pounds from creeping on. If you don’t get regular exercise, don’t wait until January for those New Year’s resolutions to kick in…get going now!

Think how much better you will feel on January first – one month from today – if you ditched the sweets, kept to your healthy eating plan, got plenty of exercise, and not only maintained your weight through the holidays; maybe even got rid of some of that excess weight. How awesome would that be?

Since I blogged about Dr. J’s column on calorielab.com yesterday, I decided to put the “Buy Local” spotlight on his hometown of Gainesville, Florida. Go Gators! This was not an easy city to find healthy, organic local food products in! Plenty of import/export products, but that doesn’t count as those items must be shipped which costs money, resources, and the local economy doesn’t get the full benefit of each transaction.

Just a reminder…the point of my “Buy Local” posts are to discover some great foods you can buy that are made in your own backyard so as Wired magazine reminds us, “giant refrigerator trucks belching carbon dioxide,” don’t have to transport that food a great distance to you.

If you missed Los Angeles, California or Portland, Oregon and live there or may be traveling there, be sure and check out those posts – Lots of good local, organic, healthy foods.

Here’s the scoop on where to find the fabulous organic products made in Gainesville that are pictured above:

Sweetwater Coffee – Union St. Farmer’s Market

Florida Crystals Brown Sugar – The Fresh Market

Lakewood Lemonade – Publix Supermarket

Kopali Banana Vinegar – Ward’s Supermarket

Rosas Farms Barbecue Sauce – Rosas Farms

Local Harvest Eggs – Heirloom Country Farms

I follow Dr. J on Calorielab.com. He has a regular column called, Dr. J Will See You Now with the following description:

Dr. J offers his irreverent, slightly irrelevant, but possibly useful opinions on health and fitness. A Florida surgeon and fitness freak with a black belt in karate, he runs 50 miles a week and flies a Cherokee Arrow 200.

How could that NOT pique your interest?

His latest column is called, Traits of people who live strong and long. What I love about this column is that while Dr. J is a self-proclaimed fitness freak, none of the traits have anything to do with healthy eating and getting adequate exercise. They’re things we’re (hopefully) incorporating into our lives each and every day. Dr. J says:

“I think most people are aware of these and will make their own choices as to whether they want to do them. There are, however, other less tangible, but possibly equally valuable, behaviors that seem to make a significant difference in the length of our lives and also have the added benefit of improving our lives and the lives of those we come into contact with.”

Honesty: Being honest is a good place to start. It reduces stress, and this way you will never have to remember what you said! Honesty truly is the best policy!

Selflessness: Being selfless and giving to others seems to really be the gift we give ourselves! I’m sure all of you have noticed, as I have, that while giving might not really be better than receiving, it’s at least just as good. In my life, when I am at my lowest, giving to others definitely seems to help my struggles better than most any other behavior.

Passion: Being passionate about something is also a quality very common to those who have led
long, happy lives. Having a reason to get up each day and something to look forward to is wonderful during the best of times and will also help keep you going as you work through those times of pain, grief and confusion that we all face.

Hard working: A strong work ethic seems to help individuals build confidence and a sense of purpose that lasts throughout their lives. Remember the ancient adage, “Hard work makes for a better person.”

Close with family: Surrounding yourself with your family is important to each person. Remember, your family does not have to be made up of relatives. The sharing of common values, love and friendship is more important than a chance genetic closeness. To have both is ideal! Being part of a strong family makes for a stronger person, able to deal with illness or grief.

Love: Having a deep, abiding love for your partner, family and friends is a great trait. Unconditional love is the ultimate, total gift of our lifetimes, and expressing that, our highest achievement. These people would do anything for those they love, including sacrificing their own comfort or desires.

Humor: Laughing has been shown to be one of the best medicines. The ability to laugh at oneself, at situations and at life is a big part of being happy! Each of these long-lived people had developed a wonderful and unique sense of humor.

Gratitude: The feeling of gratitude can be one of our best friends. It allows us to appreciate the wonders and gifts that come our way throughout life. It also gives us strength during those times we are tested and challenged. Focusing on what we do have and not on what we don’t have, and being grateful for this, is life affirming!

Facing life with courage and dignity: We all will face illness, loss of loved ones, and many other problems in our lives. By facing each problem with courage and dignity we can help not only themselves, but also those around us. Courage and dignity can, as an example, be contagious. Handling each situation to the best of our ability allows us a framework of self-confidence and happiness to work within and come from.

Sense of play: Along with humor, the ability to play and be playful is important! A sense of play allows us a chance to laugh, to feel young, and to just have fun!

The Australian government has stepped up to try and do something about their country’s staggering childhood obesity rates. Food manufacturers, like Nestlé, that target this young demographic will be reformulating many of their products aimed at kids in Australia. Why? Because they have to. According to an article in The Australian:

“The responsible marketing guidelines will be enforced in every market where Nestlé operates by the end of the year, with marketing required to encourage healthy, active lifestyles, not undermine parental authority and for no advertising to be directed to children under six.”

This is not just about Australia. This same issue is right here in the US of A. Here’s where I rant a little. And not at Nestlé or the Australian Government. Nestlé’s motive is obviously all about the dollar and the government is just doing their job. Hello parents! Nestlé is not undermining your parental authority. You are! I’m assuming your youngster doesn’t have a job at age six. He or she can’t buy Nestlé products which means you’re buying this unhealthy junk for them. I can understand if you have teenagers and you’re starting to lose some control of the situation, but at age six! What’s going to happen when they are teenagers? You could also limit how much TV they watch so advertisers can’t reach them because again, you’re in charge, right? 

In addition to telling them you love them, here are two things you can say everyday to your children: “No” and “Go outside and play.” Say these words multiple times a day. Don’t be afraid to be the bad guy – your kids are stuck with you. Their choices are very limited without your consent.

One of the products that Nestlé is reformulating in Australia is the popular Uncle Toby’s Fruit Roll-ups. Unfortunately, we have fruit roll-ups in America too. Unless they are taking out all of the ingredients and replacing them with a piece of real fruit, this would be one of those instances where you can practice the word, “No.”

On special occasions like the party I went to yesterday celebrating my 4 year-old and 10 year-old niece’s birthdays, it might be considered rude to not partake in dessert. I’m lucky because my Mom makes it so guilt free. She made turkey chili and whole wheat cornbread with a garden salad. Yum! She also made whole wheat cupcakes made with lowfat yogurt for dessert. They were amazing! Not, you’ll get used to eating this type of weird healthy stuff amazing – seriously delicious! Here’s the recipe, but don’t forget to find great local, organic baking ingredients made as closely as possible to where you live!

WHOLE WHEAT CUPCAKES

2 cups organic whole wheat flour (like Bob’s Red Mill)

1 1/2 cups organic brown sugar (like Woodstock Farms)

4 teaspoons baking powder (like Bob’s Red Mill)

1 teaspoon sea salt (like Pacific Salt)

1/2 cup, plus 2 tablespoons salted organic butter (like Horizon)

2 eggs (like Organic Valley)

1 cup organic lowfat plain organic yogurt (Like Nancy’s)

1 teaspoon vanilla (like Simply Organic)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. For (1) 9×13, bake 40 to 50 minutes, or 25 to 30 minutes for 2) 8-inch pans.  If making cupcakes, grease top rim of muffin pan (if not using a nonstick pan) since you will want to fill cupcake tins/paper cups to top as whole wheat flour doesn’t rise much and you will want batter to spill over a bit making a “mushroom” shape at the top. Bake cupcakes for about 15 to 20 minutes.  Test with a toothpick to confirm cake is done.

Mix all the dry ingredients.  Cut butter into 4 or chunks and add one by one to dry mixture with low speed mixer or food processor until completely incorporated. Should be crumbly textured.  Add eggs, yogurt and vanilla and beat with electric mixer on low speed for 1 minute.  Increase speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes more, scraping sides of bowl occasionally.  Pour batter into prepared baking pans.

Makes (1) 9×13 cake, 2) 8-inch cake layers or about 12 cupcakes.

NOTE FROM MOM: This recipe was reworked by Kelly (Kami’s sister). I started with Whole Foods recipe found online for Natural Yellow Cake Mix.

Live in the Los Angeles area? Discover some great foods you can buy that are made in your own backyard so as Wired magazine reminds us, “giant refrigerator trucks belching carbon dioxide,” don’t have to transport that food a great distance to you. Buy Local!

I chose Los Angeles as the next city to put the “Buy Local” spotlight on for completely self-interested reasons, like…I’m going there this week.  I did have to go a little outside of LA to find organic wine, but just up to the Santa Ynez Valley (I would love to hear from someone who knows of an organic winery that also has good wines in the greater Los Angeles area.) I put the spotlight on Portland, Oregon last week. 

Here’s the scoop on where to find the fabulous organic products made in Los Angeles that are pictured above:

Moroccan Mint Green Tea – Zen Zoo Tea –  Zen Zoo Tea (Hollywood)

Jonathan’s Truffles – Compartes -  Compartes (Brentwood)

2006 Syrah Rose – Sunstone Wine –  Bristol Farms (Hollywood)

Six Grain Bread – Oliver’s Artisan Breads –  Gelson’s (Hollywood)

Angel City Coffee – Groundwork –  Whole Foods (Fairfax)

I started going to Jazzercise in the early eighties. Let’s get the obvious curiosity out of the way…YES! I wore a thong leotard!  And often with white stirrup tights…sorry no pictures that captured that fine moment, but let’s just say it’s a good thing I was only sixteen. Click here for this HIGHLY entertaining look at Jazzercise back then.

Since then, Jazzercise has changed a ton…more like evolved. Click here to see a preview of Jazzercise today on their latest commercial. I’ve seen these gals in person when they visited my hometown Jazzercise studio in Portland, Oregon and they are seriously buff!

I’ve been Jazzercising for some time now. Jazzercise is what helped me lose the baby weight after both my son and daughter were born.  There are times when I’ve dropped out temporarily to try something else like biking, walking, being a workaholic, or laying on my couch, but I always find my way back because it’s a killer exercise.  The folks who run Jazzercise and go to Jazzercise are ridiculously nice, friendly, and welcoming people too. Even though it’s a great workout, it’s also fun and not at all an intimidating atmosphere. It takes an hour out of your day and you might make a few new pals to have coffee or tea with afterwards.  Click here to find a class near you. Do it!

Come join us! Kelly and I are teaching one final workshop to close out 2008. This one is in Eugene, Oregon at the Lane Community College downtown branch on December 6 from 9 AM – 5:00 PM. To register, go to the LCC website and sign up for course # 23622. It’s called Lean and Green and we promise that it will be informative, interesting, and lots of fun! Click here to view a course description. Hope to see you there!

Here’s what one of our former students who took our October workshop in Eugene had to say after taking our class:

Dear Kami and Kelly,

     I wanted to write to let you know how much I really enjoyed the class last week and your passionate attitudes toward better health.  I know a lot of the info you gave us was things we should have known, did know, or heard it before. With the scientific side that Kelly put in I guess it just finally clicked in the damage I was doing to myself that I really was not aware of.  This last week I’ve been looking at things a lot differently and setting about making changes not only to our diets, but a greener home.  I’ve felt a lot fuller adding higher fiber content to my diet and haven’t been eating as much.  I was able to get rid of 5 lbs water retention that I have been battling.  Thanks again. -Charlotte

I rarely cook. I’ve said this before, but I’m as lazy as it gets in the kitchen. I need things on hand that are quick and satisfying. To prove how infrequently I use my oven, I’ll share a little story with you. I had five women over a few weeks ago to help test thirty recipes for my book. I mostly supervised and tasted the results. One gal made spicy bean patties, which were fabulous by the way, but the recipe yielded so much of the mixture that after making four perfect patties, we decided to throw the rest of it in a pie dish and bake it in the oven to see what happens.

We’ll never know because two days ago I opened my oven to put in some sweet potato “fries” and found the spicy bean pie! I’m sharing the recipe here with you. These patties are so good you can eat them by themselves, but throwing them between a whole wheat bun, some avocado, Dijon mustard, lettuce and tomato will make you a superstar tonight at dinner. Put some sweet potato “fries” on the side and your family will be swimming in antioxidants. For the fries, cut up sweet potatoes in strips and throw them in a jelly roll pan. Douse with olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt and freshly-ground pepper, and broil for 18-20 minutes in the oven. You know they’re easy, because even I make them.

Kelly’s Spicy Bean Patties

1/2  cup uncooked quinoa

1/2 cup fresh or frozen (thawed) corn kernels

2 (15-ounce) cans pinto and/or black beans, rinsed and drained

1/3 cups pre-prepared organic salsa (like Amy’s Organic Mild Salsa)

1/3 cup red onion, finely chopped

1/4 cup dry-packed sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped

1 four-ounce can peeled green chilies, drained

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 egg and 1 egg white

 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/2  teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

To prepare quinoa: Place ½ cup quinoa and 1 cup water in a 1 quart saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer, cover and cook until all water is absorbed (10-15 minutes).

To prepare the patties:  Puree the beans in a food processor until smooth, or put them in a large bowl and mash them with a potato masher or puree using a ricer. Add cooked quinoa and all the remaining patty ingredients and mix well to blend. Shape into 6 four-inch patties.

In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium to high heat. Add the patties and sauté until browned, about 4 minutes on each side.