Ingredients
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1 1/2 cups raw whole grain quinoa
- 1 cucumber, sliced
- 1 red or yellow bell pepper, diced
- 1/2 cup lightly steamed broccoli florets
- 2 tomatoes, chopped
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/3 cup lemon juice
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- Dash salt and pepper, to taste (sea salt tastes best)
Directions:
- Cook quinoa in vegetable broth until it fluffs up, about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- While quinoa is cooking, whisk together lemon juice, olive oil, garlic cloves and salt and pepper.
- When quinoa is finished cooking, allow to cool slightly, then toss with vegetables and lemon juice mix, stirring to combine well. Add more salt and pepper to taste, and chill before serving.
Yields: 6 servings.
*Quinoa, which is usually considered to be a whole grain, is actually a seed, but can be prepared like whole grains such as rice or barley. Of all the whole grains, quinoa has the most protein, so it’s perfect for vegetarians. Quinoa provides all 9 essential amino acids, making it a complete protein. Quinoa is a gluten-free and cholesterol-free whole grain, is kosher for Passover, and is almost always organic.
Quinoa was a staple food for thousands of years in the Andes region of South America as one of just a few crops the ancient Incas cultivated at such high altitude.
Both tasty and healthy, the whole grain quinoa in this salad cooks quicker than most grains and is an excellent source of protein with about 11 grams per cup of cooked quinoa.
Cooking quinoa:
- Prepare quinoa as you would prepare rice. Cover it with water or vegetable broth and boil until soft, about 15 minutes. Or, place 1 part quinoa to 2 parts water in your rice cooker.
