Tag Archives: protein

Quinoa Salad

Quinoa Salad

Quinoa is an ancient grain that is a good gluten-free source of protein, iron, and fiber. My good friend, Denise, introduced me to the versatility and nutrition that quinoa offers, and I particularly like using it in cold summer salads.

Impromptu Quinoa Salad

Impromptu Quinoa Salad

I wanted to use up some items out of the fridge and put this salad together really quickly. I first cooked 1 cup of quinoa (I actually used a blend of white quinoa, millet, red quinoa and buckwheat) as per the package directions and set it aside to cool.  In a large mixing bowl with the cooled quinoa, I added the following:

  • 14 oz can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
  • 4 large radishes, cut in quarters, then thinly sliced
  • 2 stalks celery, diced
  • 1 cup spinach, cut very fine
  • 1/2 cup cucumber, diced
  • 1/4 cup roasted almonds, chopped fine
  • 1/4 cup roasted pumpkin seeds
  • 1/4 cup pitted Kalamata olives, cut in quarters
  • handful of dried cranberries
  • handful of dried Montmorency cherries
  • 1/2 tsp. dried Italian seasoning (replace with fresh herbs, finely chopped, if available)
  • 1/4 cup of Mediterranean Vinaigrette (I used a brilliant product from Hummingbird Fine Foods which is a classic red wine vinaigrette spiced with Greek oregano and rich, toasted cumin)
  • freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • sea salt, to taste

Simple and simply delicious! Enjoy!

Super Energy Kale Soup

I was reading a health newsletter this morning that I get from Dr. Mercola and he had included a recipe for his “Super Energy Kale Soup”: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2015/02/01/superenergykalesoup.aspxe_cid=20150201Z1_SNL_RTL_NB_art_2&utm_source=snl&utm_medium=email&utm_content=art2&utm_campaign=20150201Z1_RTL_NB&et_cid=DM68189&et_rid=826594599.  I happened to have all the organic ingredients, except that I used fresh sage and thyme from the garden instead of the dried that the recipe called for and I added some pre-cooked garbanzo beans for protein. This is a delicious and VERY nutritious recipe and it went beautifully with a smoked cabrilla (sea bass) fish sandwich (chopped leftover grilled fish with chopped celery, minced serrano, black pepper to season and mayonnaise) on toasted sourdough bread with butter lettuce.  Muy sabroso y muy rico!  A great and very healthy lunch!