Recipe #90: Quinoa Salad

Did anyone else know the correct pronunciation of Quinoa is "keen-wah"? I sure didn't know this until I looked it up in my online dictionary! Here I was walking up and down the aisles of the grocery store asking very loudly, "Where's the Kin-no-uh? Or is it pronounced "Quin-ow-uh?" I do remember a gentleman standing only a few feet away from me who appeared as though he was smiling to himself. He must have known the correct pronunciation!

Nonetheless, I have never tried this super food before but I've heard only awesome health benefits it provides. After doing a little bit of research I was very impressed to learn the seeds from this grain are a great source of fiber and protein. It is also really great for your heart with the monounsaturated fats and essential fatty acids. But I'll stop now because I can go on forever spewing out information I learned on the Internet!

I found this recipe from here: http://www.runningwithtweezers.com/black-quinoa-salad/ and I absolutely loved it! While it is cooking the quinoa has a slight scent of maple. But when eating quinoa it is actually very light, fluffy, moist, and nutty. The texture of the cooked seeds seem to pop in your mouth and quite frankly I was not satisfied with only one helping. I definitely went back for seconds and I am positive the ingredients in the entire recipe will find themselves again in my kitchen!

Ingredients:

* 1 bag of Quinoa (I chose Garlic flavored)
* 1 1/2 cups of Water
* 1 small Cucumber
* 2 large Roma Tomatoes
* 1/2 White Onion
* 1/2 cup of Freshly Chopped Parsley
* 2 large cloves of Garlic
* 1/4 cup of Finely Grated Parmesan Cheese
* 1/4 cup of Shredded Non Fat Mozzarella Cheese
* 4 Tbsp of Extra Virgin Olive Oil, divided
* 4 Tbsp of Balsamic Vinegar
* 1 tsp of Dijon Mustard



Cooking Directions:

In a medium sauce pan add the water and bring to a boil.

Add the quinoa, reduce heat, cover, and let simmer for roughly 15 minutes.

Cook the quinoa until all of the water is absorbed and the quinoa is fluffy.

Remove from the heat and set aside temporarily.

On a cutting board, chop the onion and fresh parsley.

Mince the garlic cloves.

In a large frying pan add two tablespoons of the olive oil over medium heat.

Add the onion and fresh parsley and cook until the onion is slightly browned.

Add the minced garlic and cook for about a minute before removing the pan from the heat.

On the cutting board, chop the tomatoes and the cucumber.

In a small bowl mix the remaining olive oil, the balsamic vinegar, and the Dijon mustard to make the dressing.

In a medium mixing bowl add the cooked quinoa, the cooked onion and parsley, the tomatoes and cucumber, and the two cheeses.

Mix together and serve warm.