Quinoa Salad

Since returning from Peru, the Missus has been a bit obsessed with Quinoa. To the extent that we’ve been making Sopa de Quinoa(Quinoa soup) or Lamb and Quinoa Soup almost every week for the last 2 1/2 months! In fact, during that period we’ve been noticing that the price of quinoa has slowly risen; from 89 cents a pound….to $2.19 a pound. I believe that the Missus is the cause of this increase, her incessant demand has caused world-wide supplies to dwindle, a one woman quinoa consumption machine!

A few days ago, the Missus asked me to make something different. I recalled a quinoa salad we had about 5-6 years ago….yes it is true, I can never remember where I parked my car….but ask me about a quinoa salad I had half a decade ago, and I’m "money".

This was very easy, but there a few items of note; I used less water than usual for quinoa,  the normal ratio is about 2 to 1, but because I wanted my quinoa to be "dry", I lowered the ratio. Also, when I tasted the "salad", I thought that I needed something with a bit of sweetness to balance out the flavors. Rather than adding sugar, I sliced some jicama that I had on hand which were used as "chips" to scoop up the salad. Also, the Missus wanted some seafood, so I sauteed some shrimp I had, and used that as a topping.

You might find this surprising, but quinoa is quite calorie-dense at 693 calories per cup. Quinoa is also a good source of complete protein 24 grams per cup, and carbs at 109 grams per cup. You can see why quinoa is sometimes called a "super food". What I find most interesting is how quinoa looks when cooked:

As is duly noted in What we’re eating.

Quinoa Salad

1 1/2 cups quinoa, rinsed
2 cups water
1 cucumber, diced
1 small red onion, diced 
3 tomatoes, cored, seeded, and diced
1 bunch radishes diced
4 Tb cilantro chopped
mint leaves, chopped
2 cloves garlic finely minced
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
juice from 1 lemon
Salt and Fresh Ground Black Pepper to taste
Slices of Jicama
Arugula

1 – Combine rinsed quinoa and water in a medium pot and bring to a boil. Stir once, lower to a simmer and cover for 8-12 minutes.
2 – When quinoa is cooked remove to a strainer or colander, "fluff and mix" to remove all moisture. Let cool.
3 – When the quinoa has cooled and is "dry", transfer the quinoa to a large mixing bowl and add cucumber, onion, tomato, radish, and cilantro. Mix well.
4 – Add olive oil, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, salt, garlic and pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning.
5 – Chill for at least 20 minutes
6 – Top with a chiffonade of mint, and serve on a bed of arugula, with slices of Jicama.