quinoa recipe – Angie In Progress

September 17, 2014September 17, 2014

Qurazy for Quinoa & Quale?

Kale (not quale!) – I took that joke TOO far! 😉

I was in the mood for a Mediterranean salad the other night, and didn’t really feel like looking for recipes on-line, so I just made this one up! And oh MAN was it delicious! My husband and I gobbled this up and fought for the left-overs. (Slight exaggerations occur on this blog from time to time). Oh! And this is super easy, too! And I’m all about easy!

Here’s what you’ll need:

Greek Quinoa Kale Salad

Makes 8 servings

1 c. Quinoa (I used red and brown – for fun!)
2 c. water
3 c. chopped kale (I used curly leaf for this recipe)
*1/4 t. kosher salt (optional)
1 long cucumber (or 2 regular)
6-7 roma tomatoes (or whatever tomatoes you like!)
1/4 C. chopped red onion
2-3 T. chopped fresh parsley (or 1 T. dry)
*Optional add-ins: kalamata (or black olives), light feta cheese

Dressing:

2 T. extra virgin olive oil
2 T. red wine vinegar
juice from 1/2 fresh lemon
1-2 cloves garlic – minced
1 t. Mrs. Dash, Spike or any other all-purpose seasoning
salt & pepper (to taste)

Directions

Prepare quinoa according to package instructions. Set aside to cool. While the quinoa is cooking, place the chopped kale in a large bowl. *Sprinkle with kosher salt. IMPORTANT STEP: Massage the kale! WHAT?! Yep…I promise, it makes ALL the difference! Simply rub together, smash, toss and smash for a few minutes and the texture becomes much softer and better for salads! Chop the cucumbers, tomatoes, onion and parsley. When the quinoa is cooled, transfer to a big bowl. Add kale and chopped veggies. Whisk the dressing ingredients together and pour over everything. Toss gently. Add optional mix-ins like olives and feta cheese.

Tell me that’s not delicious!

If you’re following the 21 Day FIX…one serving counts as 1 yellow, 1 green, 1 orange (olives), 1 blue (feta), 1 t. (olive oil)

If you’re NOT following the 21 Day FIX, but you’re interested in doing the 21 Day program that’s helping people lose 10 – 15 pounds in just 21 days, than you’re in luck! I’m starting a new 21 Day FIX group on Monday October 6 where you’ll learn how to incorporate foods like this, as well as daily 30 minute workouts, and get GREAT results in just 21 Days! Fill in the info below, and I’ll tell you how to get started.

August 27, 2013

Stuff It!

With the bounty of veggies coming from the farm this time of year, I had a plethora of peppers to eat! (Ya, I just used the word plethora! I try to use it whenever I can!) I decided to stuff a few and call it dinner! So to make it nice and healthy, cause that’s the way I roll, I settled on lean ground turkey and quinoa with which to stuff said peppers. 🙂 And so here is what I did:

Ingredients:

1 lb. lean ground turkey
2-3 cloves of garlic
1/2 C. chopped onion
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. paprika
1 T. chili powder
1/4 t. chipotle chili powder (or cayenne pepper, just something to add a teensy bit of heat)
salt and pepper to taste
3 large bell peppers (any color will do), washed
1 C. chicken broth (divided)
1/2 c. tomato sauce
1 1/2 C. cooked quinoa (follow instructions on package – I cooked mine in broth)
1/4 C. reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

Heat oven to 400°. Spray a large skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Add onion and garlic to the pan and saute about 2 minutes. Add ground turkey. Season with sea salt, cumin, paprika, chili powder and chipotle and brown meat until cooked through completely. Add tomato sauce and 1/2 C. chicken broth, mix well and simmer on low for about 5 minutes. Mix in cooked quinoa and remove from heat.

Cut the bell peppers in half lengthwise and remove all seeds. Place in a baking dish. Spoon the meat mixture into each pepper half and fill it as full as you can. Place all of the pepper halves in the baking dish, and pour the remainder of the broth into the bottom of the pan. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for about 35 minutes. With last five minutes, remove foil, top with cheddar cheese and return to oven until cheese is melted.

We liked ours topped with a little homemade salsa. Good stuff! (get it…”stuff”) 🙂

Nutritional Info per pepper half:

Calories: 242, Fat: 8 g., Carbs: 23 g., Protein: 21 g., Fiber: 3 g.

January 3, 2013

Try This! Kale Quinoa Salad

I made this salad today for lunch, and it was SO good! I highly recommend that you try it. Even my six year old couldn’t resist the yummy smells coming out of the kitchen, and enjoyed a bowl of the finished product with her lunch. Not sure you like quinoa? Do you like rice? I think it really has the same texture as rice, but it’s so much more nutritious, and high in protein, too! BONUS! Not sure you like kale? I found a giant bag of ‘baby’ kale at Costco, and it’s much more tender and mild. Good for adding to salads, or sautes…quite nice.

Anyway, back to my salad. It’s a New Year! If you’re working on a New You…then you’ll want to incorporate some New Foods! 😀

Kale & Quinoa Salad (makes 6 servings)

2 Cups of water

1 Cup of quinoa

6-8 loosely-packed cups of kale

2 Tablespoons olive oil

2 Tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon dijon mustard

1 garlic clove (minced)

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3/4 C. Almond pieces or slivers

3/4 C. dried cranberries

1/2 C. reduced fat feta cheese

Directions

Bring water to a boil in a saucepan. Stir quinoa into the boiling water, reduce heat to medium-low, place cover on the saucepan, and cook until water absorbs into the quinoa, about 15 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat and let rest covered for 5 minutes. Remove cover and allow quinoa to cool completely.
Put kale in a large mixing bowl.
Whisk olive oil, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, garlic, pepper, and salt together in a bowl until oil emulsifies into the mixture; drizzle over kale. Add cooled quinoa, almonds, cranberries, and feta cheese to the dressed kale and toss to incorporate.

Nutritional Information: 297 calories, 12 g. fat, 11 g. protein per serving

November 12, 2012

Fall Food: Stuffed Squash

I have almost a dozen squash to figure out what to do with! I spent the day yesterday scouring the internet for just the right recipe. I couldn’t find what I was looking for, so I made up my own. As my friend Julie would say…I “scratched” it up! And the finished product was…

Lean Turkey & Quinoa Stuffed Squash with Apples and Cranberries

Ingredients

3-4 squash (depending on size and variety) – cut in halves

1 T. olive oil

salt & pepper to taste

1.25 lbs extra lean ground turkey breast

1 C. quinoa

1 C. broth + 1 C. water

1 t. olive oil

1/2 onion – diced

2 stalks celery – diced

1 apple

1/3 C. dried cranberries

1/2 t. sage

1/2 t. pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees & prepare squash halves for baking: brush with olive oil, season with salt and pepper. Bake for 50-60 minutes.

2. Cook quinoa in broth and water per package instructions (apx. 15 minutes)

3. In 1 t. olive oil, cook onion and celery until tender, apx. 5 minutes. Add ground turkey and cook until browned. Add diced apple and cranberries, cook for an additional 2-3 minutes, season with sage, and ground pepper and salt to taste. Add cooked quinoa to the pan and toss together.