Celebrate quinoa!
Quinoa has been around for thousands of years, dating back to 3000 BC. It had its roots in the Andes Mountains in South America, where it has long been a part of the regular diet of the people living in the countries adjacent to the Andes. Slowly, the rest of the world discovered its unusually high nutritive value. Because of its richness in nutrients, the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations declared 2013 as the year dedicated to quinoa.
Quinoa is a pseudocereal, meaning that we consume it as if it were a cereal, but it does not actually belong to the cereal family. Surprisingly enough, quinoa belongs to the same family as spinach, Swiss chard, and beets. To celebrate this superfood, we prepared a simple quinoa salad mixed with vegetables that are superfoods in their own right! Enjoy this deliciously healthy dish made with six superfoods.
Quinoa Salad with Fresh Vegetables
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry quinoa
- 2 cups water
- 1/4 cup zucchini grilled, diced
- 1/4 cup peppers bottled - grilled, diced
- 1/4 cup eggplant grilled, diced
- 1/4 cup peas blanched
- 2 tablespoons parsley fresh, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Add the quinoa in a sieve and rinse under the faucet. Over medium heat, in a cooking pot, boil the water and the quinoa. When it boils, simmer on low for about 15 minutes or until the water is completely absorbed. Transfer to a bowl and let it cool down.
- While waiting for the quinoa to cook, grill the vegetables in a dry griddle. When they are cooked through, dice them. Over a small pot of boiling water, cook the peas for 3 minutes then transfer them to a bowl of ice water. When they have cooled down, drain.
- Toss the cooked quinoa, vegetables, parsley, extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper.
Nutrition Information
Have you made this recipe?
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More Quinoa Recipes You Will Definitely Love:
Quinoa Crisp and Berry Parfait
Orange Quinoa Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
Roasted Eggplant and Quinoa Salad
Vanilla Quinoa and Roasted Blueberry Breakfast Bowl
Vegetable and Quinoa Stew aka “Fridge Cleanout Stew”
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I just entered this in the WW points calculator and it is 8 points, not 4.
Kim, Thanks for bringing this to our attention. We have modified this recipe slightly. It is now 6 points plus, or 5 previous points.
This was so horrible! I tripled the recipe for the whole family. It was disgusting. I ended up adding 3 more bananas and eventually some sure. Which was exactly what I was trying to avoid. I think the chocolate ruined it. I would never make it again.
Cindy, Which recipe are you referring to, because I'm seeing the comment on the Quinoa salad?