I don’t know about you, but I’ve been pretty wary about trying Quinoa for a very long time. Those little granules… how could those possibly turn into anything worth eating?! Seriously??! Well, it just so happens that they’re edible. Quite edible, in fact. You just have to know how to prepare those little granules so that they’re worthy of eating. Adding a bunch of other good stuff in with them is helpful too. I put together a little Mexican Quinoa Salad for you.
I added good stuff like cherry tomatoes, fresh corn and cilantro. There’s a little lime in there too and a light dressing. Easy.
This is a fancy-schmancy tricolor quinoa from Trader Joe’s. Otherwise, it’s just one color. Find it in the same section of your market where you’d find rice.
Some schooling for you… Quinoa (properly pronounced as “Keen-Wah”) is a type of whole grain/seed. It cooks up quicker than other whole grains (just 10 to 15 minutes) and it’s naturally vegan, vegetarian, gluten free and cholesterol free. Quinoa has the highest protein content of any other grain, and it contains all 8 amino acids (so it’s good for ya!) It’s prepared just as rice is prepared with one part quinoa to two parts water. It’s important to rinse quinoa well before cooking it since it’s coated with a naturally occurring plant chemical that can cause a bitter taste. It’s super fine though, so you’ll need a fine mesh strainer to use for rinsing.
Prepare your quinoa in a little saucepan, and in 10 minutes it’s ready… add your veggies and herbs and a simple dressing and big bang bongo you’ve got yourself a salad- served warm or lukewarm or cold. Or you could be totally brave and just hit the Farmer’s Market, grabbing whatever sounds good to you and add it to quinoa. It’s all good.
Are you a fan of quinoa already? Have you yet to try this little grain? Have I turned you on to the idea of trying it? Hope so!
Horizons need to be broadened, salads need to be shaken up a bit, quinoa needs to be eaten, and… do as Lennon said and Give Peace a Chance. (Though the first time I wrote that it came out as, “Give Peaches a Chance.” Hmmm. Ignore me and my crazy thoughts here. Just eat some quinoa.
If you happen to be following the Weight Watchers WW plan, you’ll find a link to the WW Points on the recipe card below.
Mexican Quinoa Salad
Ingredients
DRESSING
- 1½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 2 medium garlic cloves, minced
- salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
SALAD
- 1 cup dry quinoa, rinsed well through a fine strainer/sieve
- 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
- 1 cup fresh corn (sliced off the cob, raw)
- ¼ cup finely chopped cilantro
- 1 small lime, divided use
- salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Whisk the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside.
- Prepare the quinoa according to package directions; cool slightly.
- In a medium bowl, toss the quinoa with the tomatoes, corn and cilantro. Add the dressing and toss to coat everything. Squeeze lime on top, and season with salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste.4. Serve with lime wedges, for individual squeezing.
Notes
- This salad can be served warm or cold!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
DROOLING. That dressing sounds like perfection to me!
I loooooove Quinoa. I usually cook it with carrots, onion, garlic and celery. Just saute all those vegetables in a tbs of olive oil for 5 minutes, next, add the Quinoa and then chix stock. Cook for 15 minutes or until all the liquid is gone and serve. Even my kids love it when there is Quinoa for dinner.
Since it’s winter and I can’t find fresh corn on the cob, could I substitute thawed frozen corn kernels? This sounds great and I’ve got a box of quinoa I’ve been meaning to try. Thanks
sure!
I like my quinoa for breakfast with a sprinkle of sliced almonds and a splash of milk; also use it in place of rice when serving stir fry.
Sounds so fabulous Lori, I’m always looking for fresh salads using quinoa, I love it!
the photo of the ingredients looks like there are two garlic cloves? Not listed in ingredients …….
observant, you are! Thank you for pointing that out… just added to the recipe!!