Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Quinoa Avocado Salad

Quinoa Avocado Salad
Quinoa (pronouced KEEN-wah) is an a high protein grain (that's not really a grain but more a seed) that is native to South America.  It's been called it a complete protein, meaning it has all nine essential amino acids.  That's good news to vegans.   I made this salad for lunch at home the other day and it filled me up for a long time.  Not only is quinoa's amino acid profile well balanced, it is especially well-endowed with the the amino acid Lysine which is essential for tissue growth and repair.  It is also a good source of magnesium, folate and iron.   You can read here for more information than you probably ever want to know about Quinoa.
 
 Quinoa Avocado Salad
  • 1 Cup Quinoa
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 1 medium tomato - chopped
  • 2 Tbsp of olive oil
  • 2 scallions - chopped
  • 1 tbsp tamari
  • 1 ripe avocado - chopped
  • handful of fresh chopped parsley
You can add many things:   I add them all! 
  • 1/2 cup pine nuts or sunflower seeds
  • 1 stalk of celery - chopped
  • 1 sm or 1 medium chopped cucumber
Cook 1 cup of Quinoa according to package directions.   Let it cool.  Toss all ingrediants together once it has cooled. Chill.
I like to let it marinate a little bit before I serve it but you can eat it right away!  




Submitted to Real Food Wednesday


post signature

11 comments:

Unknown said...

Sounds and looks WONDERFUL!!! THANKS!!! for the GREAT!!! recipe. Geri

jen@odbt said...

That sounds and looks really good. I have a bag of quinoa that haven't really known what to do with it. Thanks for sharing.

Melissa Angert {All Things Chic} said...

that looks FABULOUS!!
my brother's girlfriend makes a quinoa salad with corn and black beans that is amazing - i've been begging her to write down teh recipe for me!! now i have this one in the meantime ;-)

The Buntens said...

Oh, with corn and black beans I bet you leave out the tamari. Add a little red wine vinegar and use cilantro instead of parsley! Yummo!

I also saw one with sliced olives and feta cheese - very yummo.

Unknown said...

This looks very good- I'm enjoying your blog and now following you.

Unknown said...

This looks very good- I'm enjoying your blog and now following you.

Kristin said...

That looks really good! I've never made quinoa before. I want to try it. Do you think some shrimp added in would make a good main course? Or is it not the right flavors?

Tania said...

Sounds delicious! I am going to have to try that one for lunch - I think I might actually have all the ingredients!

Serendiptity is Sweet said...

Sounds yummy. I'll have to try it. Thanks

Angela @ Nine More Months said...

That looks yummy! I have to admit, I'm kind of scared to work with Quinoa. I've heard lots of bad things about it, but also lots of good things.

The Buntens said...

BTW, I had a friend suggest this morning that you rinse your Quinoa before cooking and this helps it not be sticky! Good idea!

Blog Widget by LinkWithin