Friday, January 14, 2011

Quinoa Salad



Today I made quinoa salad for lunch. I have been craving a big bowl of this all week! Something about the mixture of fresh herbs and nutty, creamy quinoa...mmm! I fell in love with quinoa the first time I tried it at Watercourse Foods, a vegetarian/vegan restaurant in Denver. Since that day, I have made it almost the same way every time. I should add a little variety, but I like it made this way. I have used a different quinoa recipe to stuff pattypan squash, and it was oh so delicious. What a super healthy meal! I will make that recipe in the very near future and post it so you all can try it. Stuffed squash is a delicacy, I tell ya! And so easy to make.

If you have never heard of quinoa, it is an amino acid-rich (protein) seed that has a fluffy, creamy, slightly crunchy texture and a somewhat nutty flavor when cooked. Not only is quinoa high in protein, but the protein it supplies is complete protein, meaning that it includes all nine essential amino acids. This is another food I like to tell my meat eating constituents about when the "where do you get your protein" question comes up. I am still baffled by the fact that people actually believe that meat is the only source of protein in one's diet. The meat, cheese, milk and egg industry would absolutely have you believe this myth. It is only when you start to educate yourself about the food that you put into your body that you come to realize what you are actually eating and its ability to nourish your body. 


If you are reading this, I want to challenge you to educate yourself about the food that you put into your body and why. Most people eat meat, cheese, milk and eggs because that is what they were raised on and do not know any differently. Those 4 products are the cause of the top 3 diseases in America: heart disease, cancer and stroke. True carnivores do not have clogged arteries, high cholesterol, hypertension, atherosclerosis, heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and the list goes on. These diseases are caused by consuming animal proteins the body is not physiologically designed to process.  Human beings are NOT, I repeat, NOT carnivores. We are  herbivores. Plain and simple-it is science. Human beings possess NO qualities of a carnivore. If you would like to challenge me (a friendly challenge, of course), shoot me an email or leave a comment. I have been doing this for 10 years and I know my stuff, so bring it on! Get to intimately know the food you are putting in your body. I guarantee it will help you change your life.

Quinoa Salad
Makes 3 cups cooked

1 1/4 cup water
1 cup quinoa
1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
1/4 cup to 1/2 cup black beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, loosely packed
1/4 cup fresh flat leaf parsley, loosely packed
Juice of one lime
Pinch of salt to taste (optional)
Dash of olive oil to moisten (optional)

Add 1 cup quinoa to 1 /4 cup of boiling water. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 12 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes, and fluff. Let cool.

Finely chop the herbs. Add all remaining ingredients into quinoa and mix well. Because of the herbs and the lime juice, this recipe does not necessarily need salt. If you have leftovers the next day, after the salad has sat in the fridge, it will dry up a bit and need some olive oil or additional water to moisten it. Eat within two to three days at the most or the black beans will go bad. There is nothing like the smell of rotten black beans, take my word for it!

*This is a gluten-free recipe

3 comments:

  1. I made a similar salad this summer but it had diced cucumber and sun dried tomato in it. I love quinoa, and i can have it because it is considered low carb! I will have to try it with beans and corn.

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  2. I love that passion! It's the same passion that made me turn vegetarian 5 years ago! So grateful for you educating me and teaching me all about the importance of eating vegetarian/Vegan. LOVE YOU!

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  3. This salad is truly delicious, refreshing, balanced... perfect for a summer salad or a side next to a hot meal! This dish actually introduced me to, and turned me into a quinoa lover! Thanks!!

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