Thursday 23 May 2013

Quinoa Salad Recipe

Quinoa.  They label this a 'superfood' so I'm here to check out what all this fuss in the media is about.

Type 'Quinoa' into google and your search results should display words like 'health packed', 'nutritional benefits', 'great substitute', and 'easy to cook' (I like the sound of this last one), etc and etc.

In all honesty, the words 'superfood', 'health' and 'nutritutional' generally put my tastebuds to sleep. But given these days I am trying to change my lifestyle a bit and substitute some unhealthy eating habits with better ones (particularly during the work week), I decided to give the famed quinoa a little try.

Pronounced 'Keen-wa', these little grain-like seeds are apparently jammed packed with goodness like protein, essential minerals and antioxidants.*  Some have even claimed it as an 'anti-aging miracle' which can 'delay the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles' (now you've really sold me there!).**

So here it is - my attempt at making an easy, healthy and tasty after-work meal.

Ingredients
-  1 cup quinoa
-  4 cherry tomatoes, quartered
-  1 small can of corn kernels
-  coriander, chopped roughly (you can substitute this with your favourite herbs)
-  spring onions, chopped finely
-  small wedge of lemon

1.  Rinse the quinoa and bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a small pot. Add the quinoa to the water, turn down the heat (to a simmer) and cover.  Allow the quinoa to simmer gently for approximately 12 minutes, or until the liquid has been absorbed.

2.  Spoon your desired amount of ready quinoa into a mixing bowl and 'fluff' it up with a fork. Now add the cherry tomatoes, corn, coriander and spring onion. Mix well and season lightly with a squeeze of lemon juice, salt and cracked pepper - and Viola!  

An easy, healthy and tasty meal in almost no time!


A bit too boring for your liking? Me too!

Let's dress this up a tiny bit more.  All you need is a fresh cut of salmon (I bought the fillet from my local supermarket, 2 pieces for under $10) or a good cut of steak (I also bought the eye fillet from my local supermarket for under $10).  

Season your steak or salmon fillet well with salt and cracked pepper. Heat a skillet and add a small amount of olive oil and cook the steak or salmon to your liking. Serve on top of your now easy, healthy and very tasty quinoa salad!  Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday dinner sorted in a wallet-friendly and tastebud-enchanting way!

Bon appétit!

xx


(I added half a ripe avocado the above dish as well and it tasted even better. Be creative with this salad!)





http://www.livestrong.com/article/352029-super-foods-quinoa/
** http://www.quinoasuperfood.com/is-quinoa-a-superfood

1 comment:

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