Cooking Vegetarian With Quinoa

Published by Carolin on Tagged Vegetarian, Salads

Ok, so today my mother kind of kicked me in the butt. She asked why I had not done a blog in awhile. I really didn’t have an excuse. So I thought well I best get my butt in gear and make her happy. Then I thought I better talk or write about something very good. The first thing that came to my mind was cooking vegetarian. You all know I am anything but a vegetarian. But at that same time I love a lot of vegetarian recipes.

So then what came to my mind was Quinoa. This is one of my favorite grains. I absolutely love it. Now I will be honest. The reason I was attracted to Quinoa was that it is very high in protein. It is like 12% -18% protein. Now I am not exactly a person that counts her carbs but I always like something higher in protein. But after the first time I tried it I fell in love. Now the other great thing about Quinoa is that it is an ancient grain. No that does not mean that it is old and stale. It is just a grain that has been around for more that 6000 years and not been altered. Unlike other grains such as wheat. Now another great aspect about Quinoa is that it is gluten free. I have mentioned before that we have our oldest son on a gluten free diets. So for anyone that is Celiac or has to be on gluten free diet Quinoa is an excellent alternative.

So I thought well I best give out my favorite recipe for Quinoa. Now I am sure most of you have heard of Tabouleh salad. It is a Middle Eastern salad usually made with Bulgur Wheat. But I make mine with Quinoa. I think I could eat this salad about 4-5 times a week. My husband loves it in his lunch. It is so refreshing it is unbelievable. It just wakes up your taste buds.

I must mention that cooking Quinoa is just like cooking rice it is 1 portion Quinoa to 2 portions water. Then cook for about 18 minutes or until water is absorbed.

You can have this on it’s own or pair it up like I do with chicken or fish and you will be a happy, happy person.

Quinoa Tabouleh Salad

1 ½ bunches of parsley finely chopped (I prefer Italian Flat leaf Parsley)

4 sprigs of fresh mint stems removed and chopped

4 green onions finely chopped

6 tomatoes seeded and diced

1 English cucumber seeded and diced

1-½ cups of cooked quinoa

Juice of 2 lemons

½ cup of extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Combine the above ingredients together, if possible let sit for an hour for flavors to marry.