The Chef and The Dietitian-Episode 26-Quinoa Salad

Fresh, fragrant herbs and sweet currants mixed with crunchy pistachios and hearty quinoa...voila...the perfect salad! Join Chef AJ and I as we show you how to make her Quinoa Salad with Currants and Pistachios, found in her delicious book Unprocessed. Quinoa is considered a super-grain, with its abundance of essential amino acids, fiber, folate, manganese, magnesium, and iron. Also gluten-free, its versatility qualifies it as a pantry staple!

Jon's Rainbow Salad

This Rainbow Salad comes from Jon Ham, who makes this divine concoction on a regular basis. In fact, this is a simple, yet delectable dish that I will now be regularly creating in my kitchen. Not only does this tout ease and tantalizing tastes, but it is chock-full of nutrients. Jon's Rainbow Salad includes high quantities of lutein, lycopene, vitamins C, A, B6, K, B2, B3, E, and folate; potassium, iron, manganese, molybdenum, chromium; fiber; protein; tryptophan; and thousands of phytochemicals that work synergistically to protect us from disease. All of that with minimal calories, fat and zero antibiotics, and hormones. Talk about nutrient density! This is maximal nutrition for a minimal buck!

We literally threw in the following ingredients:

1 red pepper, chopped

1 orange pepper, chopped

1 yellow pepper, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

3 Persian Cucumbers, chopped

1 cup grape tomatoes

1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed

2 Tbsp fresh basil, chopped

balsamic vinegar (amount to taste)

Toss together and enjoy.

Truly an easy meal and I loved the textures (crunchy and chewy) and flavors (acidic, sweet, basil-y). Good recipe, Jon!

To learn more about the hows and whys of plant-based nutrition, please see my website.

Quirky Quinoa

I love quinoa. It is a supergrain that is versatile, delicious, and easy to use. Quinoa is an ancient grain that was once considered gold by the Incas because of its superior nutrient value. It is a complete protein (rare in the plant world for a single food) and, specifically, it is high in lysine, an amino acid that is less common in grains. Quinoa is also high in minerals such as manganese, magnesium, iron and phosphorus as well as fiber. Truly one of nature's superfood.

Jon and Cari Ham had come up with this recipe and I was eager to try it. Overall the recipe is low in calories, but very high in protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals. In other words, it meets my criteria for a perfect meal, where there is a lot of nutritional buck!

Here is the recipe:

1/2 cup rinsed quinoa

1 can chopped tomatoes with sauce

1-2 serrano peppers, chopped

1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed

Add this to 1.5 cups boiling water. Let simmer for 10-12 minutes. Then add the following:

1 cup pre-cooked rice

tsp minced garlic

1 green and 1 red bell peppers (or 2 of one color), chopped

1 cup chopped broccoli

Let simmer for another 10 minutes, before the vegetables get soft. Add hot sauce if you desire some extra heat.

Plate it and enjoy. Serves 2 hungry or 4 not-so hungry. Enjoy!

Noritos!

"Noritos" is a concept I came up with many years ago, thanks to my wheat allergy...making sandwich wraps using nori wraps instead of tortillas...


Plus, sea vegetables (including Nori as well as Hijiki, Wakame, Dulse and Kelp) are filled with minerals such as iodine, iron, and calcium. They are very low in calories (about 10 per sheet of nori) and contain zero fat so they make a meal healthier, lighter and much more nutritionally dense than a tortilla or bread.
I made 3 different variations of Noritos: a Japanese, Mediterranean, and Mexican.
The Japanese Norito contains brown rice, miso paste, cucumber, carrot, tamari and gomashio.
The Mediterranean Norito is made with hummus, red pepper slices, cucumber and sundried tomatoes.
Finally, the Mexican Norito...filled with guacamole, jicama, salsa and cilantro.
Easy meals in minutes...cheers!