Poor old rice and bulgur after many years of service quinoa came out of nowhere and trying to challenge them as a recently re-discovered superfood. After learning about the history and health benefits of quinoa it might draw your attention too if not drawn already. Here is a post for Steamed Broccoli Roasted Quinoa Salad.
What is Quinoa?
Perhaps a better question for me would be, why is it so difficult to pronounce it. Being a bi-lingual it took me a while to check and learn that the correct pronunciation of quinoa KEEN-wah. The word quinoa is originally from South America and goes back to Inca’s. After the Spanish conquest, the original Andean quechua became kinoa in Spanish and quinoa in English in time.
Although the name has changed in writing and perhaps some in the pronunciation quinoa is a gift of the Inca’s to mankind. No wonder there is a legend that the Incan emperor used to plant the first quinoa every year with a special ceremony.
Is Quinoa Healthy?
A big yes. We were lucky that a small remaining amount of quinoa was re-discovered in 1970s before it was totally forgotten and extinct. Once rediscovered quinoa instantly became popular and claimed superfood status by authorities. It might be easier to count the vitamins and minerals quinoa does not possess as the list will be shorter.
In short, quinoa is an edible seed that is gluten-free, low calorie, high in protein and one of the few plant foods that contain sufficient amounts of all nine essential amino acids. After learning this I decided to make it a staple of my kitchen.
Initial studies have shown that Quinoa can improve metabolic health, as it reduces blood sugar, insulin and triglyceride levels.
How to cook Quinoa?
Cook the quinoa as per instructions on the package. The ratio is generally one cup of quinoa to two cups of water.
- First, you should get rid of the saponing coating of the quinoa. If not you might see soapy bubbles and have a bitter taste in your salad. You can rinse under the flowing water using a thin wire colander, or use a coffee filter or place the quinoa in a bowl, pour on the water to cover, let the water settle and then discard the water. Repeat until the water is clear.
- Roasting the quinoa brings out the nutty flavors. You can roast in the pot you will cook the quinoa in or you can roast in the oven. Roast both methods until quinoa is lightly browned and smells nutty.
- If roasting on stovetop, dry roast continuously mixing with no added oil until the quinoa is dry and lightly browning.
- If roasting in the oven, preheat oven to 200°Celsius (390°F) Spread quinoa on an oven tray. Bake 15 minutes, stirring halfway.
- After washing and roasting are over add warm water to the quinoa in a large enough pot with a pinch of salt and once the water comes to boil, reduce the heat and keep the time, as per package instructions. Once the time is up the water will be absorbed. Let rest with the lid on. Once the quinoa is cooled you can move on to assembling the salad.
What to add to a Quinoa Salad?
Steamed vegetables: I prepared steamed broccoli, peppers, corn and peas.
Carrots: always a good addition to a quinoa salad. No need to roast or steam a little crunchiness will be lovely. I grated them.
Tomatoes, cucumber: adds juice and flavor. If you are planning to save in the fridge for more than a day skip the tomatoes as they might get soggy.
Pumpkin seeds and flaxseeds: don’t skip any opportunity to add seeds to your salads.
Currants: These little sweet grapes are like a nice surprise. Substitute with apricot or prunes.
For dressing, I used the basic vinegar, lemon, olive oil, salt, red pepper flakes. Other inclusions could be garlic, ginger, mayonnaise.
Besides, your quinoa salad doesn’t have to be the same every time. Adding pomegranate seeds, chopped parsley and carrots in a different shape can also work for you.
Please share your pictures next time you make this salad and share them on my Pinterest board.
You can serve this Quinoa Salad as a main course or as a side for a dish like Marinated Steak with Chimichurri Sauce.
Steamed Broccoli Roasted Quinoa Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa
- 2 cup warm water
- 1 pinch salt
Steamed vegetables
- 150 grams broccoli
- 100 grams peas
- 50 grams peppers chopped
- 50 grams corn
- 1 carrot grated
Fresh additions
- 1 tomato chopped
- 1 cucumber small or ½
- 1 tablespoon currants
Seeds
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin seeds
- 1 tablespoon flaxseed
Dressing and seasoning
- 2 tablespoons vinegar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Measure the quinoa and then rinse to get rid of the soapy coating. This eliminates the bitter taste and unwanted soapy bubbles.
- Then roast on the stove or in the oven. Roast both methods until quinoa is lightly browned and smells nutty. If roasting on stovetop, dry roast continuously mixing with no added oil until the quinoa is dry and lightly browning. If roasting in the oven, preheat oven to 200°Celsius (390°F). Spread quinoa on an oven tray. Bake 15 minutes, stirring halfway.
- Then in a large enough pot add the quinoa, measured warm water and a pinch of salt.
- When the water comes to a boil reduce the heat and let simmer as per package instructions.
- By the end of the time the water will be completely soaked up by the quinoa.
- Keep covered until cooled. Mix to aerate and become fluffy.
- Meanwhile steam the broccoli, peas and peppers.
- Chop the tomato and grate the carrot.
- Put all the ingredients in a large bowl, including the dressing ingredients and toss vigorously until all the ingredients are well blended. Do not forget to taste halfway to adjust spices.
- Enjoy.
Notes
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