Tag: Quinoa

cucumber-quinoa salad

tomatoes spinach cucumbers quinoa kalamata olives

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I use quinoa (pronounced keen-wa) as the grain in this dish, originally it was served to me with couscous.  I prefer quinoa because of its texture and slightly nutty flavor.  Quinoa is considered grain like because it does not come from a grass.  This whole food is a complete protein source and of all the grains, it is the highest in protein.  Quinoa is a good source of dietary fiber, phosphorus, magnesium and iron.

Serves 6
Quinoa

1 cup quinoa, rinsed
1 ½ cups vegetable broth

Place the quinoa and broth in a pan and bring to a boil.  Turn the heat down to a simmer and cover, let cook for 20 minutes.  Remove from heat and let quinoa cool to room temperature.  Meanwhile, prepare the vinaigrette and salad vegetables.

Vinaigrette

½ cup red wine vinegar
¾ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon fresh oregano, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
Salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste

Whisk the first seven ingredients together, add salt and pepper to taste.

Salad

6 cups fresh spinach
cooked quinoa, from above
¼ cup kalamata olives, pitted and diced
½ cup feta, crumbled
2 large tomatoes, diced
2 cucumbers, diced
1 small onion, diced
Vinaigrette, from above

To serve, place the fresh spinach leaves in a large, shallow serving bowl.  Top with quinoa.  Arrange the olives, feta, tomatoes and cucumbers in concentric circles, starting in the center with the olives.  Serve vinaigrette on the side.