Could we get more refreshing? QUINOA-GRAPEFRUIT-CUCUMBER SALAD!

QUINOA-GRAPEFRUIT-CUCUMBER SALAD

I saw the inspiration for this on another blog and had to make it.  All the flavors sounded so beautiful together, and they are!

This is a light, summery salad, full of good-for-you carbs and protein from the quinoa.  With a slightly spicy dressing and undertones of fresh mint…what’s not to love?   Serve it with a moist chicken breast or some deli-turkey slices for a very filling lunch.

(Don’t let the carb count of this scare you.  Quinoa is something that doesn’t seem to cause cravings.  I am a carb-craver to the CORE, and have never had a problem with quinoa.)

~~~~

2 cups cooked quinoa (directions below)

1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced

2/3 cup diced grapefruit (see what I used below…reserve juice)

2 green onions (scallions) sliced – green parts only

2 tablespoons sliced almonds

1 tablespoon fresh mint, minced

DRESSING:

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons grapefruit juice

1 1/2 tablespoons agave nectar (OR 1 tablespoon honey)

1 tablespoon rice vinegar – regular flavor

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ginger

1/8 teaspoon cumin

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/8 teaspoon salt – or to taste

.

In a large bowl combine the cooked quinoa, cucumber, grapefruit, green onions, almonds, and mint.  Set aside.

In a small bowl whisk together the olive oil, grapefruit juice, agave, vinegar, cinnamon, ginger, cumin, pepper, and salt.  Pour over salad and mix well.

I loved it as soon as it was made, but it only got more intense and yummy after it was chilled!

Makes approx. six  1/2-cup servings.

Per Serving: Calories 211; Protein 5 g; Fat 10 g; NET Carbs 20 g; Fiber 2 g; Sugar 7 g; Sodium 59 mg

.

Cooking Quinoa:  It cooks like long-grain rice…very easy.  For this salad I cooked it in salted water, but using chicken, beef, or vegetable broth works great, too.  I’ve also done it with half water, half coconut milk for a breakfast cereal-version.

Bring 1 cup water and a little less than 1/8 teaspoon salt to a boil in a medium saucepan.  Stir in 1/2 cup rinsed quinoa.  (Rinse in a fine mesh sieve making sure the water runs clear.  Most on the market – even the bulk stuff – is very clean already.)

Reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 18-20 minutes, or until all water is absorbed and the white ‘tail’ or ‘ring’ can be seen on each seed.  Fluff with a fork and allow to cool to room temp for this salad.  Or cool, cover and chill for later use.  It should stay nice and fluffy.

.

I LOVE these little cups for use in recipes.  All the work has been done AND you get some juice to use for the dressing!  They can be found in the produce section, usually by the bagged salads or chilled dressings.  I used all of the grapefruit and 2 tablespoons of the juice for this recipe.

Also really good with Mandarin Oranges and orange juice! Little bit easier and cheaper that way too!

Asian Style Beans

Where to Find it: Kayotic Kitchens

Green beans, snap beans, string beans, French beans, whatever you want to call them, they’re in season, they’re cheap, tasty and healthy. Go for it!
We’re very high on vegetables here. We easily eat 10 oz a day (per person), so I’m always trying various ways to prepare vegetables making them slightly different every time we eat them. These have a little Asian twist to them and rank high on the ‘yummy delicious’ list here (‘yummy delicious’ being the English expression for my Dutch 2 year olds favorite foods, thanks to Dora).
For some reason the combination pine nuts & green beans works beautifully in this side dish.

Ingredients:
String beans
1 medium onion, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
Garlic (I used 1 clove, grated)
Ginger (thumb sized piece, grated)
1 tbsp sweet soy sauce
1 dsp chili sauce
Chili powder
Handful pine nuts
Oil
Directions:
Coarsely chop the bell pepper and the onion. Trim the beans and break the long ones in half. Give them a good wash.

Parboil the beans in lightly salted water. I like a little bite to them, so I boiled them for about 13 minutes. You can give them a few minutes longer if you like, just don’t over-cook them!

Grate the ginger and garlic. I keep lots of ginger in the freezer, this way I always have some on hand. It works great! The flavor seems to intensify once frozen, so you even need less to get the same result. It’s also easier to peel and grate when still slightly frozen. Nothing but benefits!

Use vegetable oil rather than olive oil because you can use higher temperatures that way, which is much better for stir-frying. I use this oil – it’s an oil that has a slightly Asian flavor to it already. Seems they infused it with garlic, fenugreek, cardamom, cumin, celery, turmeric, coriander etc resulting in an amazingly fragrant oil.

Sautee the bell pepper for about a minute or two, then add the onion. Add the ginger and garlic as soon as the onion turns slightly translucent, not before or you’ll burn the garlic. Don’t let the onions brown, it just doesn’t look good in this dish.

In the mean time the beans will be ready. Drain them and quickly rinse them with cold water – this will stop the cooking process, leaving your beans fresh and green rather than all sad, shriveled up and brown.

Add a pinch of chili powder to the onion mixture. I use incredibly hot chili powder, no clue where they got those chilies from, and have a toddler eating this as well, so I only use a pinch (literally, see?) but feel free to use more. I always sautee my spices for a minute or so, it really gets the flavor going.

Add the beans to the bell pepper/onions and give them a good swirl. Add a tbsp soy sauce. I used sweet soy sauce, but you can also add regular soy sauce and add some additional sugar. Is this a Dutch cooking products 101 or what?

Add a heaping dinnerspoon chili sauce. You don’t want to drown the beans, you just want to coat them. It gives them a real pretty shine. Hey, I’m a girl, I’m all about the bling-bling. Let it all simmer for a few minutes now so the flavors can incorporate.

Toast the pine nuts in a hot skillet. Roughly 30 seconds should do, then shove them around a bit. Give them another 30 seconds and they’re done.

Serve the beans on a pretty platter, sprinkle some of the pine nuts on top and serve with a little extra soy sauce on the side. If you, unlike me, happen to like Coriander, this would be your cue to use it. I can’t stand the smell or taste of coriander, so I don’t even want to use it as garnish.


These taste absolutely great with steamed rice and stir fried chicken or beef strips!

Banana Peanut Butter Smoothie and Pumpkin Smoothie


One of my favorite smoothies is banana! Now that I am searching the health world, this is a great new twist!

Now it's with banana, yogurt, peanut butter and flax seed for fiber. Ground flax seed also has a great nutty taste.

A friend of mine and I made pumpkin smoothies; here’s the recipe:
1 cup soy milk
2 cups soy ice cream or replace with yogurt that is frozen
1/3 c. pumpkin
1 tsp cinnamon
dash cloves
2 dashes nutmeg
dash ginger

Makes a DELICIOUS dessert!!!