Quinoa Quinoa Quinoa!

According to Leslie Beck, a Registered Dietitian in Toronto, Quinoa is a superfood.It has an exceptional amount of nutritional value; it's high in protein, contains all nine essential amino acids, and it's glueten-free. To give you the deets, a 1/2 cup of cooked Quinoa contains 88 calories, 3 grams of protein, 1 gram of fat and 2 grams of fibre. AND it contains notable amounts of manganese, magnesium, iron and phosphorus. Check out Leslie Beck's website for more details about Quinoa, and other superfoods!

Because Quinoa is so amazing, I've started cooking with it a lot in the last couple of years. I've made a variety of different recipes, but the one I made last week is BY FAR one of the best Quinoa recipes I've EVER made. And my man would agree! It was taken from this website. It's a salad but it would also function great as a main course.

Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad 

Serves 4 (as a main dish)

Ingredients

2 cups water
1 cup Quinoa
pinch of salt
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
pinch of cumin
pinch of ground cayenne pepper
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
3 tomatoes, diced
1 cucumber, diced
2 green onions, sliced

2 carrots, grated
1 cup fresh parsley, chopped
(I added crumbled feta cheese, about a 1/2 cup)

Directions

In a small saucepan bring the water to a boil. Thoroughly rinse quinoa under water then add to saucepan along with a pinch of salt. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature; fluff with a fork.

Meanwhile, combine olive oil, sea salt, lemon juice, tomatoes, cucumber, green onion, carrot, and parsley in a large bowl. Stir in the cooled Quinoa.

Oh, I almost forgot!! Only 24 days until Christmas!! Woo hoo!