Shaytard’s Quinoa Salad
Quinoa is one of those mysterious health food ingredients that you have likely heard about, but might not have tried. I have to admit that I have tried to make quinoa in the past and just did not get it. This recipe changed my opinion.
Acquiring a Taste for Quinoa
A few years ago I was at a luncheon and the speaker was raving about the wonderful nutrition and taste of quinoa. That was my first introduction to the grain, so I ran right out and bought some. I made one batch of plain quinoa, let it go bad in my frig and eventually threw the rest away.
The recipe below gave quinoa a new life in my family. In fact, my daughter (18 at the time) introduced me to this recipe.
This dish marks the first time that quinoa ever tasted good to me and that may be because I learned to eat it mixed in with other dishes.
If you are following my free 7 Day Junk Foods to Super Foods Challenge, then you can mix this Quinoa Salad in with Dad’s Easy Chili or put it on top of a salad.
Quinoa Nutrition
A cup of cooked quinoa has about 220 calories, 5 grams of fiber and 8 grams of protein (Adult women should get about 46 grams of protein a day and adult men about 56 grams).
But don’t forget about the kids. I think this ingredient is best when mixed with other recipes, so sneak it into your kid’s soup or whatever they are having. Shhhh.
Shaytard’s Quinoa Salad
This recipe is called Shaytard’s Quinoa Salad because it comes from the YouTube Vlogging family that call themselves The Shaytards. This is how my daughter found out about the recipe.
Their vlog is not about nutrition per se, but I have to say they have an interesting vlog. If you are surfing around with nothing to do, you can check out the Shaytard’s YouTube Channel here.
Shaytard’s Quinoa Salad
courtesy of Dr. Becky Fitness
Ingredients
Salad Ingredients
- 3 cups Water
- 2 cups Quinoa
- 1 Jalapeno Pepper chopped
- ½ Bell Pepper chopped (any color)
- ½ Onion chopped
- 2 Tomatoes chopped
- 5 cloves Garlic minced
- 1 15-oz. can Whole Kernel Corn drained and rinsed
- 1 15-oz. can Black Beans drained and rinsed
- 2 tablespoons dried Cilantro
Sauce Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons Olive Oil
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- Juice of 2 Limes
Instructions
- Boil water and add quinoa
- Cover and lower heat to simmer for 10 to 15 minutes or until water has boiled away
- Stirring is not necessary, but be careful not to burn the quinoa
- Mix the chopped vegetables, canned goods and cilantro together in a medium-sized bowl
- Add cooked quinoa to the bowl and mix
- Mix sauce ingredients together in a small bowl and add to the quinoa mixture
Notes
About the Author
Dr. Becky Gillaspy, DC graduated Summa Cum Laude with research honors from Palmer College of Chiropractic in 1991.
