The Magic of the Quinoa Salad (Recipe)
I recently had to go buy new jeans. It wasn’t because I had worn holes in the knees of my favorite pair or because there was a great big stain on them; it was because my jeans didn’t fit anymore. My go-to jeans had become loose, baggy and they were practically falling off my once plumper behind. Now I should mention that this was not part of some meal plan or diet, it was due to some subtle lifestyle changes that I made. I began to eat steel-cut oatmeal every morning, had plain Greek yogurt sweetened with maple syrup as my mid morning snack, and cut down on sweets and breads. But the biggest thing that I believe was responsible for the effortless shedding of the pounds was my new lunch regime.
Five days a week I have the same thing for lunch – a quinoa salad. And while some might tire of the repetitive nature of the same thing over and over, I look forward to it and every day I do something a little different. I use the same basic recipe, one I made up, and mix it up depending on what I have laying around the house. The thing about this salad is that it is filling while being low on the carbs, it will satisfy me until supper time and gives me the energy and stamina I need to get through the day. Best of all, it’s delicious.
So how do I make this salad of mine? Here are the very simple instructions:
Salad Ingredients:
½ Cup quinoa
1 Cup water
2 Tbsp hummus
Handful of lettuce (I prefer a mix of leaves)
1 egg (either fried or hard-boiled)
Vegetables (I use sliced carrot, red pepper, or corn)
Then add anything that might strike your fancy like avocado, sliced chicken, slices of cheese, or beans.
Dressing Ingredients:
¼ cup olive oil (I prefer local extra virgin first press)
2 Tbsp white wine vinegar
1 Tsp mustard
Juice from half of a lemon
Salt and pepper to taste
Preparation
First put ½ cup of quinoa in a microwave safe bowl. Add in 1 cup water. Cover (I place a plate over my bowl).
Microwave the quinoa for 9 minutes (you may have to keep it in a minute or two longer depending on the microwave).
When the quinoa is done, stir with a fork.
Mix in hummus.
Cut up either the hard-boiled egg or the lightly fried egg and mix that in.
Mix in lettuce, vegetable and other items.
Stir in dressing.
And you are done!
Delicious, easy, simple and for me, it has been a body changer!
Do you regularly eat quinoa?
Photo source: Sunny Chanel
