Healthy Mexican Quinoa Salad Quinoa (pronounced “keen-wah”) is a gluten free protein-packed grain which contains amino acids, iron, magnesium, vitamin E, potassium, and fiber. It can be eaten on its own, as a side dish, or as a salad with a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper. It is a very versatile ingredient which can be adapted to make all kinds of cuisines. While quinoa is usually considered to be a whole grain, it is actually a seed and can be prepared like whole grains such as rice, barley or dalia (wheat porridge). In India, quinoa is available in select supermarket stores and due to the high cost of the product, there are very few takers for it, hence the production and sales have not picked up as much. The quinoa I buy is imported and I am yet to find a domestic producer of this amazingly nutritious grain. Quinoa is the “IT” thing amongst gym goers and fitness freaks. I have seen it on the menu of a handful of restaurants which cater to the health conscious crowd. The famous Indian adaptations of this grain are Quinoa Pulao, Quinoa idli /dosa and ground Quinoa chapattis. Quinoa has a very nutty texture and I find it to be best suited for a light summer evening salad. I have tried many kinds of salads using quinoa over the years and but I keep going back to this recipe every once in a while. This is a very simple, quick salad full of Mexican flavours which is just perfect at any time of the day! I came across the recipe of “Mexican Quinoa Salad” a couple of years back on: nutritionfor.us/2012/05/guest-post-with-bake-your-day/. I adapted the recipe to suit my taste buds and on days when I don’t have quinoa at hand, I use dalia (wheat porridge) to make this salad. It doesn’t have the same texture but it still tastes amazing! The crunch of the black beans, tanginess of tomatoes and nuttiness of the quinoa makes this salad a complete treat which is good to taste as well as has numerous health benefits. It is one of the yummiest health foods I have come across till date and yes, it is worth the money because your health is worth every penny you spend. So give it a try and I am sure you will love it as much as I do. #CaLVegProtein
Posted on: Sun, 12 Oct 2014 15:08:46 +0000