Spring Quinoa Salad
Description:
In an effort to open up our blog to a wide variety of viewers, I included a trusty favorite for those whose dietary needs are specific, while also following the vein of the Superfood Series from the previous post about sweet potato soup. In this installment, the South American superfood, quinoa, is the keynote speaker. Packed with fiber, this ambiguously categorized grain (is it a cereal, grain, or seed?) yields the highest values of protein over any other grain (28 grams in one cup, which is fittingly our recipe amount). It has a pleasantly crunchy texture and a translucent cherubic roundness enclosed by an opaque white thread. The whole dish comes together in a fresh tasting blast of flavors perfect for the spring.
Ingredients needed:
1.5 large cucumbers
5 plum tomatoes OR 3 regular tomatoes
2 jalapeños
1 avocado
1 lime
1 bushel of cilantro
1 cup quinoa
1.5 tablespoons lime
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar OR garlic infused red wine vinegar
1.5 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon black pepper
2.5 tablespoons sea salt
Categorization:
Type: Side, Main Dish, Between-meal Snack
Dietary Orientation: Vegan
Prep Time: 15 min
Cook Time: 45 min
Cool Time: 10 min
Eating Time: 5 minutes
Servings: 6
Relative Itemized Cost:
$1.10 - cucumbers
$1.29 - tomatoes
$0.68 - jalapeños
$0.50 - avocado
$0.15 - lime
$0.23 - cilantro
$1.99 - quinoa
$0.15 - red wine vinegar
$0.25 - olive oil
$0.05 - sugar
$0.05 - black pepper
$0.05 - sea salt
___________________________________
$6.49 - Total
$1.08 - Cost Per Serving
Nutritional information per serving:
236 calories
14 grams fat
2 grams saturated fat
0 milligrams cholesterol
25 grams carbs
5 grams fiber
12 milligrams sodium
5 grams protein
Cooking Instructions:
1. Clean the quinoa by tossing it into a pot, stirring it several times and straining out the water. I like to let it sit in the water for a few minutes before doing that, but it is just a preference. After that, set the quinoa aside.
2. After preparing the quinoa, bring a pot of three cups of water to boil. Toss in the quinoa and three to four pinches of salt. Keep an eye on it. It should take around 15 minutes, which is ample time to finish the cutting of these rest of your items.
2. Dice the cucumbers and tomatoes into small cubes and toss a scosche of salt on those, mix, and set aside (separately). Try to drain out excess liquid if your tomatoes are mushy.
3. Slice finely the cilantro (about 7-8 stalks).
4. Slice in half the jalapeños, remove seeds (if desired, though I personally keep them in considering 2 jalapeños does not really impart that much heat on the entirety of the dish), and mince. Set aside.
5. Get the lime cut up, you should need two to three slivers. Set those next to the olive oil and red wine vinegar for deployment.
6. By now, your quinoa should be getting there. Keep stirring and tasting for desired consistency. I prefer al dente, so I stop the boiling a little earlier. After its done, drain out the water and set aside.
7. Cut open the avocado and slice some nice slivers to fan out on the top. At the same time, set out a few stalks of cilantro for garnish. Also, on a side note, I learned a technique from a Kenyan bodybuilder for getting my avocado pit out. Take a look.
8. Mix the cucumbers, tomato, jalapeños, lime juice, olive oil, and red wine vinegar. Throw in the cilantro and quinoa (after it has cooled for about 10 minutes and is relatively dry).
9. Finally, add salt and pepper to taste. Also, add more of any of the lime, olive oil, or red wine vinegar to your taste buds' liking. I like a little less of all of them, and a touch more salt to keep the dish nice and crispy. After placing a pretty heap of the salad mixture onto a dish, throw a dash of sugar over the top and garnish with the avocado and cilantro.
