Was it worth a massage?

When you think about it, passing pieces of paper around as currency is sort of strange. Just when and how did someone decide it would be better to receive two gold coins as payment rather than that goat he had his eye on for a while? Bartering must have been more fun. Two camels for a day's labour, (or maybe a daughter) would still leave you with enough change to get eggs for a year, (a chicken perhaps)? My friend is determined to bring bartering back. Being of an annoyingly capable 'able to put her hand to anything' type of disposition, she is currently studying massage and is willing to 'trade' for a service or product. What can I provide? An explanation of 20th Century art isms perhaps? Maybe a look through my telescope at a planetary nebula, or, how about a roasted cauliflower, kobacha squash and quinoa salad? Being also a sensible person, she opted for the third. 

Quinoa with cherry tomatoes, baby potatoes and pesto

A friend I've mentioned several times before is currently training to become a holistic nutritionist, (well, actually, she's currently at a yoga retreat in Costa Rica), but you get the idea. I'm one of her case studies due to my problematic indigestion and ongoing insistence that the Atkins diet is good for you. Her goal is to help me on both counts while encouraging me to adopt a far more sensible whole foods diet comprising of grains, vegetables, fruits and proteins. Fine with me, I've always loved the idea of eating like this, but the meals themselves can be hard to swallow: bland and uninspiring. So, for the new year, I have a real goal to aspire to and lots of creation and experimentation in the kitchen. So, starting with something I've cooked once or twice before, we have wholefood number 1 : Quinoa.