Quinoa (Keen-wah) is a grain with that is high in fiber and the high quality protein (similar to what is found in meat). It cooks like rice and has a mild flavor similar to couscous. It comes in red and white. (The red is slightly higher in calories and carbohydrates but not enough to stress over). I always use quinoa in place of brown rice because of its nutritional richness. Oh, and did I mention it provides small amounts of omega-3’s… we all could use more of those! After knowing this, if you aren’t on the quinoa wagon yet, there are recent studies that are pointing toward quinoas anti-inflammatory benefits as well.
I don’t have a lot more to say about it, except it should be in your diet. Period. AND, remember the name game? ‘A my name is Annie and I like to eat apples!’ Well, now you have a food for ‘Q’…’Q my name is Quinn and I like to eat Quinoa! Bam!’
I’ve started making quinoa recipes for my husband’s lunches each week, so you’ll likely be seeing more. He always eats canned soup without a lot of nutrients or calories each day, so I figured these simple one dish recipes would be perfect!
*I saw this recipe in my latest issue of Oxygen Magazine. I didn’t use the dried cranberries because they have more sugar than I like. And, yes I am aware that this seems like a LOT of work, but surprisingly it’s not. This took me about 25 minutes to prepare. Note: if you aren’t a canned tuna fan (like me) you can certainly add grilled/baked chicken.
Quinoa Bean Salad
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
1 bunch asparagus, cut into 2 inch pieces
2 (5-ounce) cans water-packed white tuna, drained
1 (14oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
1 yellow bell pepper, diced
½ cup flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped
2 scallions, sliced
1/3 cup walnuts, chopped
1/3 cup dried cranberries
½ cup 100% carrot juice
3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ tsp cumin powder
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper
Heat a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add quinoa to the pan and toast it, shaking pan often, until fragrant and beginning to pop, about 4 minutes. Add 2 cups water and cover, simmering over medium-low heat until tender, about 12 minutes. Set aside to cool and then fluff with a fork. Steam or boil asparagus until tender. In a large bowl, toss together quinoa, asparagus, tuna, black beans, yellow pepper, cherry tomatoes, parsley, scallions, walnuts and dried fruit. In a separate bowl, whisk together carrot juice, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, cumin, salt and pepper. Pour carrot juice mixture over quinoa mixture over quinoa mixture and toss. Serves 6.
Calories: 387
Fat: 15g
Carbs: 44g
Fiber: 9g
Protein: 22g
Take a look at that fiber and protein content. That just makes me happy! I saw a quote today that is completely unrelated to quinoa, but I LOVE it and want to share:
‘You will never change your life until you change something you do daily. The secret of your success is found in your daily routine.’
LouLeeFit 