Quinoa Salad

qui·noa

   [keen-wah, kee-noh-uh]

–noun

a tall crop plant, Chenopodium quinoa, of the goosefoot family,cultivated in Peru and Chile for its small, ivory-colored seed,which is used as a food staple.

Do you like Quinoa?

It's super easy to cook, like rice. It's a complete protein! It has so many nutritional qualities, I'll give you a link!

Quinoa Salads are sort of a "trendy" food right now. Another blogger that I read posted her Quinoa Salad recipe and I sort of wanted to scream! She was boasting all about the nutritional value and, personally, I thought her recipe left much to want in the nutrient area.

It can be challenging when adding healthy foods into a bowl to add extra fatty items, like avocado, nuts, cheeses, olive oil, olives, seeds, or bacon. Now, I normally would consider cheese a source of protein, especially if you're eating vegetarian. If not, it's important to consider that cheese is higher in fat, like most other sources of protein, so if you have chicken and cheese, it's double protein but also double fats. Try to limit the fats in your recipes to one or two, and stick to portion sizes. Make sure to add plenty of vegetables and maybe you could squeeze a fruit in there with some figs or dried cherries... (I didn't but it's an idea)

Here is my Mediterranean version of Quinoa Salad:

Cucumber (1/3 of a large one)

Cherry Tomatoes (5-6, Cut up into little pieces)

Greek Olives (3-4, Cut up very small)

Red Onion, (Small dice! and you might want to rinse)

Reduced Fat Feta Cheese

Quinoa (about 1 cup cooked)

Salt & Pepper

1/2 - 1 tsp Olive Oil

2 tsp Red Wine Vinegar

Gimmie you're versions!

Happy Eating!