Quinoa is an incredibly versatile grain that is easy to prepare, high in protein and fiber and can be served for just about any meal throughout the day. My favorite dishes with quinoa are definitely the endless varieties of delicious powerhouse salads packed with healthy goodness . . . like the one in photo below!
Here is the recipe for this tasty and easy2make summer salad:
Ingredients
Quinoa
½ cup of quinoa
¾ - 1 cup water or broth of choice
Veggies
1 medium carrot, peeled and finely diced
1 red Florina pepper, cored and finely diced
1 zucchini, sliced and diced (core not used)
1 grapefruit, cut in half, fruit removed
Chives and fresh cilantro or other fresh herb of choice, to taste
Preparation Method
Before cooking, rinse quinoa in cold water and drain well. Place rinsed quinoa and water or broth (as per recipe or package instructions) to a medium saucepan. Bring mixture to boil and then reduce heat and allow to gently simmer for about 6 – 10 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.
Most packages recommend covering the saucepan at this point but I usually don’t! Once, all liquid is absorbed, take saucepan off heat and set aside, covered with the saucepan lid, for a 5 – 10 minutes. Last but not least, use a fork to fluff the cooked quinoa and add the veggies & grapefruit as per this recipe or other of your liking.
While quinoa is cooking, prepare the veggies. Just place veggies in a skillet with a litter water and simmer until cooked al dente. I don’t mind the veggies a bit unevenly cooked but the correct way is to cook the carrots slices for 2 – 3 minutes before adding the peppers and zucchini to skillet. Either way, once all veggies are simmering in skillet, mix gently with a wooden spoon and cook to taste. Also, make sure to add water or broth if needed!
Place grapefruit halves on cutting board and carefully remove grapefruit meat with a serrated knife and place in bowl with juices. If you want to remove the membrane from the grapefruit segments do it now and then cut fruit into smaller bites. If you haven't done that before, with a sharp knife just slice along the sides of membranes to separate the grapefruit segments and then cut fruit and place back into bowl with juices. Actually, the membrane is a bit tough so I think it is well worth this extra effort but I leave it up to you to decide what you want to do so or not.
Now, place quinoa in a bowl. Add the veggies, chives and cilantro or other chopped herb and mix. Season with salt and pepper to taste and then last but not least, add the grapefruit with juices and mix carefully.
Serve with extra virgin olive oil and citrus balsamic cream on the side, or if you prefer, make a light citrus dressing of your choice.
Yield: 1 – 2 servings
©KaritasM – June 2020
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