Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Fiesta Quinoa Salad

Some of you may know I recently decided to try Quinoa.
 I have seen and heard of it before, but never tried it. 

So what better place to try something new than a restaurant!
I ordered an amazing roasted veg and greens salad, topped with goat cheese and quinoa. 

I fell in love.

Now my goal was to see if I could make something that I had never made before
 (and only eaten once)
 taste okay?

Not a problem. If you're concerned about screwing it up, not likely. It's pretty fool-proof!

I know there are SO many health benefits to Quinoa. A big one for me is that it's gluten free (I'm trying to cut as much gluten as I can, because I don't think it's good for our bodies), but this as well


It's stacked with: 

  • phytonutrients
  • antioxidants
  • can even help balance your blood sugar
  • complete protein
  • magnesium
  • fibre
  • manganese and copper

Plus...YUM!

So there are many ways to enjoy it I"m sure 
(and as I create or find new recipes I'll post them) 
but here's one I created today. I really enjoyed this, and so did my little one :)

No one can deny how good it is when they see this cute lil' face diving RIGHT in!


















Fiesta Quinoa Salad
2/3 cup of cooked Quinoa (see label for directions)
1 cup of coloured pepper (red/orange/yellow) chopped
1/2 avacado, sliced
1/2 medium-sized zuchinni (or 1/2 cup), shredded on cheese grater
1/2 onion, diced
1 Tbsp minced parsley
(add any veg you like, and try a new one too!)
Dressing: 
1 lemon (juiced) 
1 lime (juiced)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 - 1 1/2 tsp concentrated chicken broth 
1 tsp balsalmic vinegar
1 tsp fig-balsalmic dressing (if you have it on hand)
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
2-3 Tbsp EVOO (extra.virgin.olive.oil) -this is my abbreviation, keep it in mind :)\
1/2 tsp ginger powder
1 clove garlic, minced


Once the Qunioa is cooled in the fridge, add the dressing, toss and serve cold. Mmmm....


Leave a comment below and let me know what you think!





Pumpkin-Apple-Pecan Muffins...Oh My!!

Well my friends, yes, it's been a while. 
Time has flown by and I hope you know I still love you, my friends! 

But I'm hoping to keep up with it again now that I'm refreshed from a much needed "life-break." 
(ps: I apologize for no picture! I took one but my camera won't load)

As I've said before (and will continue to say again...sorry!) I LOVE healthy food and live healthy food. But healthy food doesn't have to taste bad!!

A story.

I love muffins. But I don't like that they're actually cake, disguised as muffins. They come packed with TONS of calories, and not the good kind! One commercial muffin can contain up to 900 calories! WHAT?? 
And no offence Mr. Bran, but you taste like...well...the opposite of what yummy is! 

So here's a super healthy, but super yummy, muffin! 
You can feel GREAT about eating this one!

Pumpkin-Apple-Pecan Muffins
1 Cup Old Fashioned Oatmeal (not instant)
1/2 cup unsweetened Applesauce
1/2 cup Canned Pumpkin
2 large Egg Whites plus one yolk (lightly beaten)
2 Tbsp + 1 tsp Canola Oil
1 Tbsp baking Powder
1/2 tsp baking Soda
1 tsp Cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground Nutmeg
1 tsp Pumpkin Pie spice
1/2 cup of milk (or milk alternative)
3/4 whole wheat flour
1/2 cup honey
1-2 Tbsp flax seed (ground)
3/4 cup pecans (or walnuts)
(toss in cranberries for flavour if you like!)

  1. Preheat oven to 375
  2. Line muffin pan with liners
  3. Mix just until moistened
  4. Fill cups 2/3 full
  5. Bake about 15-20 mins


I eat mine with just a smidge of jam spread thinly. 
Leave a comment below and let me know how you like them!
(recipe adapted from: Tosca Reno "The Eat-Clean Diet Cookbook")