Quinoa and Spinach Salad with Berries

My friend moved to Fort Collins, Colorado last year and I went to visit over the weekend. It was filled with fun and of course, delicious food. (I’ll go into more details later. For now, let’s focus on this salad.) Not only is quinoa delicious, it’s actually nutritious and easy to make.

Why it’s nutritious

“When NASA scientists were searching decades ago for an ideal food for long-term human space missions, they came across an Andean plant called quinoa. With an exceptional balance of amino acids, quinoa, they declared, is virtually unrivaled in the plant or animal kingdom for its life-sustaining nutrients.”- New York Times (an article about the origins of quinoa and current dilemma in Bolivia)

Quinoa has a chewy texture with a nutty flavor. It’s often mistaken for a grain, but it’s actually related to beets and spinach. The textures and flavors worked well and it’s easy to adapt your favorite nuts and fruits to this dish.  We made it for dinner and savored every bite.

Give quinoa a try! You will be pleasantly surprised.

Serves 3-4

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of quinoa
• 2 cups of vegetable broth
• 1 tbsp of olive oil
• ~2 loose cups of chopped spinach
• 1/4 cup of cranberries
• 1/4 cup of currants
• 1/4 cup of azuki beans (unsweetened)
• 2 tbsp almond slices
• 2 small garlic cloves
• juice from 1/2 lemon (~2 tbsp)
• 2 tsp of maple syrup or agave
• 1/4 tsp of cayenne pepper
• salt and pepper to taste

To Make:

Step 1: boil quinoa with vegetable broth (your package should come with instructions or follow this great video)

Step 2: in a bowl, add in all your ingredients in order listed and mix

Enjoy!

 

 

Easy Hummus

This is one of my favorite snacks and it’s so easy to make! You will have a delicious snack in under 10 minutes. Traditionally tahini is added, but I don’t really care for it. I never add it and I don’t miss it at all. If you don’t have pita, you can dip use veggies or even put it on some toasted bread. There are no preservatives and you can control the amount of salt added. You won’t buy hummus again!

add 2-3 cloves of garlic into food processor/blender

add 1 bunch of parsley (add more or less depending on taste)

drain 1 can of garbanzo beans and pour in food processor/blender

add juice of 1/2 a lemon, salt and pepper

blend

done!

pita bread to make pita chips

tear pita apart and put on electric grill till crunchy or bake for 9 mins @400 degrees

dip and eat!

Or eat it with some crusty bread.