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Quinoa salad is an easy to make one-dish meal or side. It can be kept in the refrigerator for several days and is good for lunch, or any time actually.
Quinoa has been called a super food or a super grain. Quinoa grains are a complete protein, which means that they contain all the essential amino acids our bodies cannot make on their own. Technically, they are considered seeds.
“Quinoa is a good source of protein, fiber, iron, copper, thiamin and vitamin B6,” says Kelly Toups, a registered dietician with the Whole Grains Council. It’s also “an excellent source of magnesium, phosphorus, manganese and folate.” Toups emphasizes that a “‘good source’ means that one serving provides at least 10 percent of the daily value of that nutrient, while ‘excellent source’ means that one serving provides at least 20 percent of the daily value of that nutrient.”
Table of Contents
Benefits of Quinoa
-has anti-inflammatory qualities.
-can help in reducing cholesterol, including LDL and Triglycerides.
-can provide heart-healthy monounsaturated fat and can maintain these nutrients even with cooking at high temperatures.
-is good for your digestion, and also provides a greater feeling of fullness than wheat or rice.
-maybe helpful for diabetics and those with hypertension.
-may help you live longer.
-is gluten free, so a great choice for those needing to avoid gluten.
It’s clear that quinoa has many beneficial properties—so let’s put it to work in our kitchens and in our bodies!
When making Quinoa salad, cucumbers, lemon juice and avocado go especially well with it, although you can put in a variety of different uncooked vegetables.
Quinoa does need to be washed before cooking since it has a coating of saponin (a plant defense to ward off insects), giving it a bitter flavor. Rinsing it with cold water will do the trick.
Ingredients:
1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
½ tsp salt or to taste
1-2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil or any other preferably cold pressed oil that can be consumed raw.
Juice of 1 lemon or to taste
Pepper ¼-½ tsp
Choice of the following vegetables:
2-3 stalks green onions
1 Red and/or green bell pepper, diced
1 avocado diced
1 cucumber diced
3 Celery stems finely chopped
Instructions:
Wash the quinoa grains using a fine mesh strainer.
Boil the quinoa with 2 cups of water and then simmer until it is cooked through.
Leave to cool.
Add the chopped vegetables, lemon juice, salt, pepper and olive oil.
Mix well and then refrigerate for a couple of hours before consuming. This recipe serves 4.
If you liked this recipe, do share it. Please comment and let me know if you tried it and how it turned out. What modifications did you make? Also, check out my recipe for Fiber-rich Pancakes.
Sources:
wholegrainscouncil.org
livescience.com
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I linked this post at Meatless Mondays blog party at confessionsofamotherrunner.com
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One of my favorite salads! I love quinoa, so much so I burnt my family out on it and they’re just coming around to eating it again.
I also love quinoa it’s a great source of protein. Simple salads like this are my thing too. Thanks for linking for meatless Monday hope to see you again