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Adapted from a recipe by Cynthia Lair from her book, "Feeding the Young Athlete: Sports Nutrition Made Easy for Players and Parents" ...
Quinoa, pronounced keen-wah, is not a true cereal grain but rather the botanical fruit of an herb plant ... it is, however, treated as a "grain" for cooking purposes ... quinoa is grown in the Andes Mountains in South America ... it contains an average of 16.2 percent protein, more than any other "grain" ... there are some varieties of this fruit that contain more than 20 percent protein ... nutritionists consider the protein in quinoa to be a "complete" protein because of it's essential amino acid balance ranking it high on a list of excellent sources for one of our daily requirements of protein ... quinoa is lower in carbohydrates than any other "grain" with the exception of corn ... and only oats and buckwheat grains are higher in fiber than quinoa ...
In addition to the complete protein and excellent fiber content, the quinoa and other ingredients in this recipe also contain "good" to "very good" dietary quantities of omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin A, vitamin B-6, vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin K, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, folate, pantothenic acid, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, copper, manganese, and selenium ...
The quinoa plant produces natural saponin which lightly coats each of the mini-fruits ... saponins are natural detergents or glycosides ... saponins have a bitter taste which repels insects and birds (pretty smart plant, huh ?) ... while quinoa is washed after harvest and before shipping, you should always thoroughly rinse the quinoa with warm water before cooking which will remove any remaining residues of the saponin ... that way you won't end up with cooked quinoa that's bitter ...
Finally, to enhance the flavor of the quinoa in any recipe, you should try dry roasting the "grain" for a few minutes before adding the liquid and cooking ... it gives the quinoa more of a nutty flavor ...
Salad
1 C Dry quinoa, thoroughly rinsed with warm water until the water runs clear
2 C Chicken stock
1/2 to 3/4 Bunch fresh arugula
1/2 C Fresh carrots, chopped
1/3 C Fresh cilantro, minced (can substitute parsley as in original recipe)
2 Scallions/green onions, sliced
1/4 C Unsalted sunflower seeds
1 t Fresh rosemary, chopped
Dressing
2 to 3 Cloves fresh garlic, crushed
1/4 C Freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 t Fresh lemon zest
2 T Olive oil
2 T Shoyu soy sauce
Rinse quinoa well with warm water and drain ... dry roast the granules in a pan over medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes ... in a separate pan, bring the stock to boil ... slowly add the quinoa, stir, reduce heat to low, cover, and let simmer for 15 to 20 minutes until all the liquid is absorbed ... fluff into a large salad bowl, set aside, and allow to cool ... in a small non-reactive bowl, combine the garlic, lemon juice, lemon zest, olive oil, and shoyu ... mix well, pour over quinoa, and toss ... wash and spin-dry the arugula leaves and tear into bite sized pieces ... add the arugula, carrots, cilantro, onions, sunflower seeds, and rosemary to the quinoa mixture and toss gently ... chill in the refrigerator for up to 4 hours to allow all the flavors to blend ...
Approximately 4 to 6 servings
Serve with lightly toasted English muffins and a bottle of 2005 Ironstone Vineyards Riesling Pfalz Germany ...
Clink !
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