Health Food

Quinoa Tabbouleh

The raves of quinoa haven’t stop making it the world’s healthiest grain, but to be honest I’d never tried it until I found this recipe. Yes I do know about it’s high nutritional value but still, I kept pronouncing it wrong, thought it looked weird, and I had no idea how to cook it. A little research and bingo, this recipe is simply and you can switch the vegetables with whatever your have on hand, Yay! So it turns out it’s super easy to make and yummy too! Here you go… a simple quinoa (pronounced Keen-wah) recipe. Fiber is actually delicious.

Ingredients

• 2 cups water
• 1 cup quinoa
• salt, to taste
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• cumin, to taste
• cayenne pepper, to taste
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 3 tomatoes, diced
• 1 cucumber, diced
• 2 green onions, sliced
• 2 carrots, grated
• 1 cup fresh flat-leaf italian parsley, chopped

Directions

1. In a small saucepan bring the water to a boil. Thoroughly rinse quinoa under water then add to saucepan along with a pinch of salt. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature; fluff with a fork.
2. Meanwhile, combine olive oil, sea salt, lemon juice, tomatoes, cucumber, green onion, carrot, and parsley in a large bowl. Stir in the cooled quinoa.

Nutritional Information (serves 4): 485 calories, 20g fat, 0mg cholesterol, 237mg sodium, 67g total carbs, 9g fiber, 6.6g sugars, 14.25g protein

Note: Salt, cumin, ceyenne pepper, and regular table salt (not sea salt) are not included in nutritional info because it’s based on your taste meaning there’s no amount given for nutritional information to be caculated. All three don’t add any calories to meal but can serisouly pack in a lot of sodium.

Quinoa’s Nutritional Values…

• A typical serving has between 12%-14% of your daily recomended (average adult) protein intake.
• Quinoa has a balanced set of essential amino acids for humans making it a complete protein.
• Quinoa is a good source of fiber.
• High in phosphorus, magnesium, and Iron which may be especially valuable for persons with migraine headaches, diabetes and atherosclerosis.
• Quinoa is Gluten-free.