Thai Quinoa Salad

I was given this recipe from my friend Tiffany.  She got the recipe here Thai Quinoa Salad.  I made this and love the flavors!  This was great to have made and ready in my fridge for lunches.  -Kristin

• 1 cup quinoa
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 carrot, peeled and shredded
• 1 cucumber, chopped
• 1 cup frozen edamame, thawed
• 6 green onions, chopped
• 1-2 cups shredded red cabbage
• 4 teaspoons fish sauce
• 3 limes, juiced
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• pinch of red pepper flakes
• ½ cup chopped peanuts 
• ½ cup chopped cilantro
• ¼ cup chopped basil
• 
  
• Rinse the quinoa under cold water and cook in a medium saucepan according to package directions. Remove from pan and let cool.
• Add the quinoa and vegetables to a large bowl. In a small bowl, whisk the fish sauce, limes, sugar, vegetable oil, sesame oil and red pepper flakes until the sugar has dissolved. Taste for sweetness and for heat and add more to taste. 
• Pour the dressing over the quinoa and vegetables and stir to combine. Sprinkle the cilantro, basil and peanuts over the salad and stir lightly. 
• Serve or refrigerate for up to a day.  It will stay longer in if you don't add the peanuts to the entire mixture.  

Quinoa with Corn

I adapted this from a recipe I found off of Pinterst and it is really good.  I served it with our Lebanese Chicken that is on our blog.  I loved the lemon butter sauce on the quinoa.  That sauce on plain cooked quinoa would be a great, simple side dish too! -Kristin

4 ears corn, cooked and taken off of cob or 1 cup cooked frozen corn

1 Tablespoon grated fresh lemon zest

2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup butter, melted

1 Tablespoon honey

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

2 cups uncooked quinoa

4 cups water

1 teaspoon salt

4 green onions, chopped

• Prepare the dressing by whisking together the lemon zest, lemon juice, melted butter, honey, salt and pepper in a large bowl.  Set aside.
• Place quinoa in a strainer and rinse. (unrinsed quinoa can have a bitter flavor, so rinse it well)
• Place rinsed quinoa, water and salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer about 20 minutes until cooked through.
• Add the quinoa, corn kernels and chopped green onions together with the dressing and toss until it's evenly coated. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Quinoa

This is a new discovery for me. I have heard a lot about it and was anxious to try it, first some background information. Pronounced keenwa, it was an ancient super food for the Inca Indians, originating in South America. Recently growing in popularity due to it's nutritional value. It has a whopping 14 g. of protein for a heaping 1/2 cup (uncooked). It is gluten-free, high in Magnesium and iron. I like to use it in place of rice, but am finding new ways to use it all the time. Here is the recipe for my favorite way to cook up a batch. -Sarah

1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
1/2 t. salt

• Place quinoa in a strainer and rinse. (unrinsed quinoa can have a bitter flavor, so rinse it well)
• Place rinsed quinoa, water and salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer about 20 minutes until cooked through.

Brown Rice

This is very basic, but it's the best way I've found to cook brown rice, it's yummy every time. I add spices and vegetables to this for a nice side dish. It's different every time. Sarah

• Bring 2 1/2 cups water to boil.
• Add 1 T. butter and 1/2 t. salt
• Add 1 cup brown rice
• Return to boil, reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour, or until rice is tender.