Quinoa Salad

Since returning from Peru, the Missus has been a bit obsessed with Quinoa. To the extent that we've been making Sopa de Quinoa(Quinoa soup) or Lamb and Quinoa Soup almost every week for the last 2 1/2 months! In fact, during that period we've been noticing that the price of quinoa has slowly risen; from 89 cents a pound....to $2.19 a pound. I believe that the Missus is the cause of this increase, her incessant demand has caused world-wide supplies to dwindle, a one woman quinoa consumption machine!

A few days ago, the Missus asked me to make something different. I recalled a quinoa salad we had about 5-6 years ago....yes it is true, I can never remember where I parked my car....but ask me about a quinoa salad I had half a decade ago, and I'm "money".

This was very easy, but there a few items of note; I used less water than usual for quinoa,  the normal ratio is about 2 to 1, but because I wanted my quinoa to be "dry", I lowered the ratio. Also, when I tasted the "salad", I thought that I needed something with a bit of sweetness to balance out the flavors. Rather than adding sugar, I sliced some jicama that I had on hand which were used as "chips" to scoop up the salad. Also, the Missus wanted some seafood, so I sauteed some shrimp I had, and used that as a topping.

You might find this surprising, but quinoa is quite calorie-dense at 693 calories per cup. Quinoa is also a good source of complete protein 24 grams per cup, and carbs at 109 grams per cup. You can see why quinoa is sometimes called a "super food". What I find most interesting is how quinoa looks when cooked:

As is duly noted in What we're eating.

Quinoa Salad

1 1/2 cups quinoa, rinsed
2 cups water
1 cucumber, diced
1 small red onion, diced 
3 tomatoes, cored, seeded, and diced
1 bunch radishes diced
4 Tb cilantro chopped
mint leaves, chopped
2 cloves garlic finely minced
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
juice from 1 lemon
Salt and Fresh Ground Black Pepper to taste
Slices of Jicama
Arugula

1 - Combine rinsed quinoa and water in a medium pot and bring to a boil. Stir once, lower to a simmer and cover for 8-12 minutes.
2 - When quinoa is cooked remove to a strainer or colander, "fluff and mix" to remove all moisture. Let cool.
3 - When the quinoa has cooled and is "dry", transfer the quinoa to a large mixing bowl and add cucumber, onion, tomato, radish, and cilantro. Mix well.
4 - Add olive oil, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, salt, garlic and pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning.
5 - Chill for at least 20 minutes
6 - Top with a chiffonade of mint, and serve on a bed of arugula, with slices of Jicama.

Comments

[dave]

mmmmm i do love me some quinoa.
i always make extra and then have it for lunch ala this recipe: http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/001564.html

[RONW]

I've been leaving "quinoa" out for a sparrow on my lanai. I'm not planning to eat the sparrow or anything like that.

[Kat]

mmm this looks healthy and delicious. I wish I had some quinoa. Oh, and I think all grains have risen in price due to the fuel price increases.

[santos.]

a 146% rise in price over 2 1/2 months is *not* a slow increase!

[Carol]

I always thought quinoa was a grain but I was told it's really seeds from a goosefoot. The salad looks very good, almost like a salsa.

[Kirk]

Hi Dave - Looks like a nice recipe - quinoa is very versatile.

Hi RONW - I'm sure you now have some "super birds"!!!!

Hi Kat - Yes, fuel prices....

Hi santos - LOL! You're right......

Hi Carol - It's a nice refreshing salad, and I guess you can eat it like salsa!

[Colleen]

It seems that perhaps you've been in Japan so perhaps you'll know where I can get quinoa? I've just come across information about quinoa recently and my interest is piqued. Any help you can give would be great.
Thanks!

[Kirk]

Hi Colleen - I don't have a clue.....but let me see if there's someone who can help.

[Carol]

Hey Kirk! Where do you normally get your quinoa? I got some of the white and the black quinoa over the weekend at Jimbo's and made white quinoa raisen muffins that are really good.

[Kirk]

Hi Carol - Because the Missus goes through about a pound(or more) of Quinoa a week, we just get it at Henry's.

[Carol]

Thanks, Kirk. I know Whole Foods has them too. Jimbo doesn't sell in bulk. I'll look for it at my local Henry's.