I was feeling like something fresh and light after a long weekend of travel and nonstop snacking. I wanted a combination of veggies and a healthy grain or protein. I settled on quinoa, a newly discovered foodstuff for me.
Oh, quinoa, how do I love thee, let me count the ways?
You are easy to prepare, versatile and oh-so-healthy. Not quite a grain, more like a vegetable, high in protein and the good kind of fiber. Downsides are that it is messy to clean up when consumed by a toddler, but even the munchkin likes it.
I loosely followed this recipe for Quinoa and Bean Salad, with a few substitutes:
- Prepare quinoa as instructed on package
- In a separate pan, saute 1/2 of a chopped red onion
- Add 12 – 15 stalks of asparagus, cut into 1″ pieces
- Saute’ for a few minutes and add quinoa once ready
- Take off heat and mix in 2 cups of arugula, some shredded basil, crumbled ricotta salata and a few tablespoons of vinaigrette
- Mix well and serve. The arugula should wilt slightly. Add additional salt and pepper as necessary
I used ricotta salata instead of feta in the recipe because I knew hubs would NEVER touch it if he heard it included feta. And I skipped the beans. Would have been another reason for refusal to eat from the audience…
Aftermath
Yummy dinner, maybe a little light as a main dish. Husband asks:
What’s the big deal about quinoa?