I’ve been hearing so much about quinoa lately but I have to admit I’ve never had it. That is, until now. Quinoa (pronounced “keen-wa”) is a seed-like whole grain that cooks just like rice. It was first eaten by Incan warriors as their fuel for battle because it gave them such good energy and power. Quinoa is not only high in protein but is also:
- high in fiber
- high in nutrients such as folate, thiamin, riboflavin and iron
- a good source of essential fatty acids
- easy to digest
Quinoa is naturally gluten-free, making it an excellent food for celiac patients or other people following a gluten-free diet. It’s also an excellent food for vegetarians and vegans, or for anyone looking for healthy protein source. It’s high in iron and calcium, and is a good source of manganese, magnesium and copper.
How’s that for a health lesson!? Sounds like a super food to me! I found a couple of quinoa recipes and decided to give this salad a try first.
Balsamic Quinoa Salad
Compliments of It’s a Keeper
www.everydaytastes.com
Compliments of It’s a Keeper
www.everydaytastes.com
½ cup balsamic vinegar
¼ – ½ cup best quality extra virgin olive oil (depending on if you are watching calories)
2 T Dijon mustard
6 cloves of garlic, minced
2 shallots, minced
Salt, pepper and cayenne pepper, to taste
1 ½ cups quinoa
Bouillon cube
5 Sun Dried Tomatoes (Not in oil)
1 red pepper, chopped
4 oz blue cheese
1 can black beans
Make dressing by combining vinegar, mustard, garlic, shallots and olive oil. Season to taste. Add quinoa to three cups of boiling water. Boil for 10 minutes.
Rinse with cool water and place in a fine mesh colander. Boil water and place quinoa and sun dried tomatoes in the colander over the water. Cover with a kitchen towel and lid. Steam for 10 minutes. Allow to cool.
Cook red pepper in a small skillet until tender. Combine pepper and remaining ingredients with quinoa. Add dressing and toss.
Is It a Keeper?
This was an extremely flavorful salad! The tang of the vinegar was perfectly balanced by the creamy blue cheese. It was a very filling dish — perfect for an easy quick lunch or hearty side dish.
I did make a few tweaks to the recipe. I didn’t have any sun dried tomatoes, so I just left them out. It would’ve probably been even better with them. I also didn’t have a red bell pepper on hand (how did that happen?!?) but I did have a jar of roasted red bell peppers. So, I chopped some up and threw them in. Right from the jar.
You probably also won’t need all of the dressing. I didn’t! Save it and use it on another salad or to marinate some chicken. Yum!
This recipe did make quite a bit so I ended up taking some to work to share with my co-workers.
Nikki said, “it tickled her tastebuds.” Cute, huh?!? And, Karl ended up having some for breakfast! Breakfast?!?!
So, if you haven’t tried quinoa yet, you might want to give this super-food a whirl! It’s pretty good!
Christina
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17 Responses to Balsamic Quinoa Salad
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About Me
Hi! I'm Christina, the chief cook and bottle washer at It's a Keeper. I love to cook and am a self proclaimed recipe hoarder who reads cook books cover to cover like most people read a juicy novel. Join me as I cook and bake my way through the pile of recipes that I've collected. Read more.Find It’s a Keeper on:
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Oh my goodness…what a blog you have! I’ve been exploring for a good 10 minutes, and haven’t touched a quarter of it yet. =P You got a new follower–I defiantly wanna come and explore more when I have more time! Please check out my blog if you get a chance.”see” ya soon!
looks yummy! I am stopping by from the FMBT Blog Hop! I am your newest follower and I cannot wait to read more! Hope to have you stop by and follow me
I’m just starting to get into quinoa. I like it, but i have to get some recipes for it. This looks like a good one!
Hi there! Following you from the blog hop. Would love it if you could come visit us at Random Deals. Thanks!
PS. The pictures for your posts don’t seem to be showing correctly. Only on the homepage.
Thanks for the heads up! I just checked in Internet Explorer (I use Mozilla Firefox as my browser) and there appears to be an issue. A message came up in IE and asked me to update my capatability. Once I clicked on that button, everything appears fine.
I also linked up on your blog! Thanks for hosting!
Oh, this looks so good. I love quinoa but never thought about a salad with balsamic vinegar. Reading your recipe, though, I think it would be a perfect match-up. Do you think the dish would work without the blue cheese (to make it vegan)? Thanks so much for sharing the recipe … and including meatless meals on your site!
Here’s another quinoa salad that you might like:
http://reducefootprints.blogspot.com/2009/04/vegan-recipe-black-bean-and-quinoa.html
Thanks, again!
You can absolutely leave out the blue cheese! In fact, I didn’t add it right to the recipe since I like and my husband doesn’t. I kept the cheese on the side and added only to my portions. The creaminess does balance the dish, but it tastes pretty darn good without it too!
Enjoy!
hello, I found you on the Wed. Blog hop.
Your recipe sounds delish!
http://poshpoochdesignsdogclothes.blogspot.com/
new follower from blog hop come by and visit me http://adventuresfrugalmom.blogspot.com
Yay! I’m glad you tried it. You know my kids even liked it! My Oldest wanted seconds the past two times I’ve incorporated it into our meal. Stop by to see the recipes: http://homesandbabies.blogspot.com
Follow if you can. I’m SOOOOOO close to my goal!!
YUM! I have to try this
I am a new follower from the Friday Blog Hop.
Anya
http://anyasgreenbaby.blogspot.com/
MMmmm, that sounds awesome, I can’t wait to give it a try. I’ve been loving up quinoa for years now and I still cannot get enough of it!! So nutritious and has the best texture ever!!
I am soooo excited I found your blog (over at the Mingle Monday hop) because (as you will see if you check out my blog) I am OBSESSED with food!! Looking forward to trying out all your “keeper” recipes
Check me out when you have some time!
http://candidcatholicliving.blogspot.com
Yum! This salad looks really good – I’ve never thought to try such a tasty looking dressing on salad. Since I can’t have cheese, I wonder if using avocado would fulfill the same purpose. What do you think?
I think avocado is a FANTASTIC idea! In fact, I’m going to share your suggestion to my friend, Nikki, who was my guinnea pig for this recipe!
Thanks, Christine!
Hi!
This looks like yet another GREAT recipe I’m going to try! Love quinoa, so this is right up my alley.
Recipe questions… what flavor boullion cube did you use? Also, you add it to cooking water prior to the quinoa, yes?
Thank you!
This was really good! I’m glad you’re going to try it! I used chicken boullion and yes, I added it to the cooking water. Great flavor! I hope you enjoy it!
Just made this. Delicious!!!! Thanks!