Quinoa Salad

Quinoa is something that many people may not have heard of before, but those who are familiar with it use and enjoy it on a regular basis.  They enjoy it in things such as quinoa salads for their lunch or dinner. 

Quinoa’s a very nutritious food and the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization) has compared it to dried milk’s value.  It’s a very good source of protein since it includes all of a person’s amino acids. That means that when someone eats a quinoa salad, they aren’t just getting their greens and vegetables, but they are including something that gives them some protein that’s high quality.  Just one cup put into a quinoa salad puts in 8.14 grams of protein, a lot of zinc, potassium, magnesium, copper, iron, calcium, and phosphorus, making the salad even healthier for the person. 

Here is easy recipe and you can have this salad for lunch with orange juice and you are good to go.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup quinoa
• 1 1/2 cups cold water
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 green capsicum chopped
• 1 Red onion chopped (apply lime juice)
• half cup thawed corn and black beans
• 1 medium ripe tomato
• 1 medium cucumber, peeled and diced
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, cilantro, or basil
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted sunflower seeds or toasted cashews

Dressing:

• 2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 tsp salt
• Fresh ground pepper
• Options: Pinch of cayenne, garlic powder or fresh minced garlic, minced fresh or dried ginger
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        Quinoa can be made ahead of time and refrigerated

• Soak the quinoa 5 minutes in cold water
• Rinse thoroughly 2 times, pour off the water and drain through a large fine mesh strainer
• Place in 2 qt pot with the water and salt
• Cover the pot, bring to a full boil, turn the heat to low, and cook for 15 minutes
• Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
• Add all the vegetables.
• Blend dressing ingredients with a whisk or shake in a jar
• Gently combine veggies, walnuts, quinoa and dressing in a large bowl
• Cover and chill, or serve immediately.
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• LemonKurry: Innovative Recipes 2013:Event By LemonKurry
• Divya's culinary journey: Event Announcement- Cooking with Seeds- Quinoa/ Ragi
• http://theyogivegetarian.blogspot.com/2013/05/ingredient-of-month-20-quinoa-and-event.html#!/2013/05/ingredient-of-month-20-quinoa-and-event.html