Quinoa Salad

I thought I’d give you the recipe for the Quinoa Salad I took to TGIF  the other night.  It was so good ~ my girlfriends LOVE Asian food and there’s always lots of yummy Asian appetizers so I thought I’d make a salad to go with them. ♥MUSICA♥

Have you used quinoa? (It’s pronounced keen-wa.)  If not, you are in for a treat and a world of wonderful new healthy salads!

 . . . and some interesting things you might like to know. First off, quinoa is not a grain, it’s a seed, and considered gluten-free (for those with celiac disease you might like to read this).

 And it’s so good for you!  Those little seeds (related to spinach) are an excellent source of protein, it’s a great source of fiber, and it has 700% more iron than white rice.  Quinoa has an interesting texture which means it goes with almost any savory thing you serve; and there are many ways to flavor it.  If you can’t find it at your market, try the health food store, or try Bob’s Red Mill.

This is the Quinoa Salad that’s on page 84 of Girlfriends Forever ~ it has roasted peanuts, ginger and lime.  With the use of different herbs, the salad could be Asian style, Mexican style, you could make it with fruit and cinnamon, with shrimp or fish, or almost anything you would like.

For my recipe, you cook 2 c. of quinoa in 3 c. water for about 10 min. and pour it into a strainer.  In a large bowl you mix together all the rest of the ingredients: rice vinegar, sesame oil, soy sauce, fresh ginger . . .

. . . the zest and juice of two limes (don’t worry, I’ll put the recipe at the end) and soy sauce . . .

. . . minced green onions and chopped celery . . .

A little salt and pepper

 Stir it all together with sliced water chestnuts and coarsely-chopped, dry roasted peanuts . . .

. . . crunchy fresh snow peas and sweet currants . . .

. . . and voila!  I put it in my candlewick bowl, because it’ll reflect light . . . and took it to Jaime’s house.  We ate ourselves silly, caught up, had a group hug and promised to love each other forever; it couldn’t have been nicer.

QUINOA SALAD WITH PEANUTS, GINGER & LIME

• 2 c. quinoa, rinsed
• 4 1/2 Tbsp. rice vinegar
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. sesame oil
• 1 1/2 tsp. low-sodium soy sauce
• zest & juice of 2 juicy limes
• 3 Tbsp. fresh ginger, minced
• 1/4 tsp. salt.
• 1 c. snow peas, trimmed and halved
• 3/4 c. celery, chopped
• 3/4 c. water chestnuts, halved
• 5 green onions (w/ green part too) thinly sliced
• 1/2 c. currants
• 1/3 dry-roasted unsalted peanuts, coarsely chopped
• a few good grinds of black pepper to taste
• If you’d like chopped herbs ~ mint, cilantro, and basil, together or separately work great with this salad.

Rinse 2c. quinoa under running water in a fine mesh sieve.  Bring 3c. water to boil in saucepan.  Add quinoa, bring it back to boil, reduce to simmer, cover and cook 10 min.  Strain and set aside.  Meanwhile, in large bowl, mix together all other ingredients.  Add drained quinoa, herbs too if you like, stir well and serve. Good cold, hot, or room temp.  Enjoy!

Have a wonderful day Girlfriends! XOXO