Greek Style Quinoa Salad

We likey a lotta salads around here! My daughter Madeline's favorite salad, by far, is a Greek salad! She is all about the tangy kalamata olives, the salty, creamy feta cheese, and the bite of raw onions.

I am trying to mix it up in regards to school lunches... My girl's bring a cold lunch, since school lunches have much to be desired. There are some rare decent choices, but you know if you are eating away from home, you are likely consuming GMO (genetically modified organisms) foods, and most certainly pesticides, etc.

So, adding another fun salad to the arsenal. Since Madeline favorite cold lunch is Quinoa salad, I decided to do a fun Greek Style Quinoa Salad!

Greek Style Quinoa Salad


1 C uncooked quinoa
1 cucumber diced
1 tomato diced
1 medium onion diced
1 avocado diced
12 or more kalmata olives chopped
raw feta cheese to taste
1 C of  my Greek Style Salad Dressing

Cook quinoa as directed on package. Usually it is 1 C quinoa, to 2 cups water. Cover, and bring to a boil. Turn down to a simmer, and cook approx. 12 - 15 minutes. Uncover, fluff like you would rice, and allow to cool! This will make approx. 4 cups of cooked quinoa.
Add all ingredients into a bowl, then toss gently. Avocado breaks apart easily so be careful!

*You could easily double the veg here. I make it more quinoa ratio to the veg ratio here. You could make it more chopped veg to quinoa if desired!
*With all the raw vegetables, you are getting all of the nutrients and enzymes present in raw food! Your daily goal should be at LEAST 50% raw.
* I don't know if avocado is in the vein of Greek style, but I don't care. Avocado makes everything better... and it is a SUPER FOOD!
*I only use raw sheep's milk feta. Pasteurized milk products, pasteurized ANYTHING is damaging to human health! It ruins anything that may have been beneficial in the milk, and is denatured. Sheep's milk is also and A2 milk, which isn't harmful to humans like A1 milk most often found in our dairy products in the U.S.. Those with dairy allergy, can often consume raw sheep and goat milk products.

This is delicious and nutritious! Quinoa is a superfood in so many ways! As is the delicious, creamy, heavenly avocado! Onions have antibiotic properties, and are powerfully antiviral, and anticancer too! Cucumbers are a misunderstood, and underestimated vegetable! They are also a superfood! It is highest of the alkaline scale of vegetables! An alkaline pH won't allow disease or illness. Kalamata olives are a source of essential fats, their deep rich color offers phtyonutrients, and are just dang tasty! Raw sheep's milk Feta cheese also has SURPRISING health benefits, like being powerful against food born illness/ or food poisoning. Wow.

Yours in health,
Natalie

Summer Quinoa Salad

It's been a gorgeous summer... Sometimes a salad is in order as your main dish!

With summer being here, my daugthers and I love to kick it to local farmer's markets! It is a win/win/win. We have fun shopping together, we support local farmers, (local economy) AND we get to eat fresh local produce!

Quinoa is a fantastic, versatile product, that is used like a grain, but is really a seed! It is nutritious, is gluten and grain free, and is considered a SUPER food! Plus, it tastes great.

I normally throw together my salads, but in case anyone asks what I did, what is the recipe, I decided to measure, and to pay attention!

Summer Quinoa Salad

2 C quinoa uncooked
1 cucumber diced
1 zucchini diced
1/2 C sweet corn
1 lg tomato diced
1 avocado diced
1 pepper diced

Dressing
1/4 C raw apple cider vinegar
1/4 C olive oil
2 garlic cloves chopped or pressed
1 tsp raw honey
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

Cook quinoa as directed. I put 2 C quinoa and 4 C water in a sauce pan, brought to a boil. Then turn down and simmer for approx. 12 minutes. Allow quinoa to cool.

Put all of the ingredients of the dressing in a jar, and shake well, and put into the fridge. Alternatively, you could blend ingredients in a blender. But why clean the blender? The dressing will meld flavors, as your quinoa cools.

Dice your veg, and put into a mixing bowl. When quinoa is cool, everything goes into the mixing bowl except avocado. Mix avocado in last, as it breaks apart easily... and voila! Summer salad, using a super food, and magically healthy produce from the market!

*Today I used a 10 oz. can of diced Mexican tomatoes. We ate all of our fresh tomatoes!
*I normally would dice an onion and have that in the salad. This might the first time ever, I didn't have onion in a quinoa salad or side dish.
*You could use lemon juice in lieu of vinegar as your acid in the dressing. 1/4 C lemon juice, or 1 lemon freshly squeezed.
*You could throw in 1/4 C chopped nuts of choice.
*Omit the corn for a grain-free salad. That would make it Paleo for those who are interested!

This salad could be made with veggies of choice. I used what I had on hand!

Yours in health,
Natalie

Curried Garlicky Quinoa Salad

Quinoa is a super seed, that is used like a grain.  It is a little seed, that is similar looking to that of couscous.  This little seed is easy to cook, and so very versatile!  It cooks like rice, but in 1/3 the time! It is packed with protein, and is a seed, not a grain. So, if you are gluten free, or grain free, this is a 'grain' for you!
There are a million ways to throw an easy salad together.  This is one of my many variances.

Curried Garlicky Quinoa Salad


1 C Quinoa
2 C water
1/2 C cubed roasted sweet potato
1/2 C cubed roasted russet potato
1 C chopped roasted broccoli
1 lg. chopped onion
5 cloves chopped garlic
1 Tbl Olive Oil for sauteing


Dressing
2 Tbl  Extra Virgin Olive oil
2 Tbl Bragg's Raw Apple Cider Vinegar
1 tsp curry powder
1 crushed garlic clove
small squeeze of Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp  sea salt
fresh ground pepper

Put 2 C water and 1 C quinoa in a sauce pan. Follow directions on package.  Most often, it is to bring to a boil, then cover, and reduce heat to a simmer, and allow to cook for 12-15 minutes.  Take off the heat and fluff with a fork.  Allow to cool.

 While quinoa is cooking, saute the onion in 1 Tbl olive oil until translucent. Then add 5 cloves of crushed or chopped garlic.  Saute for about 5 more minutes. Stir frequently. 

To make the dressing, put the all ingredients into a bowl, except olive oil.  Whisk very well.  Then while continuously whisking, slowly pour olive a little at a time into the bowl.  Alternatively, you can put all ingredients except olive oil, into a blender. Blend well, then slowly add the olive oil while blender is running.

 Add veggies, onions and garlic and dressing. Toss gently.  You'll have a gorgeous, delicious salad!  You could serve this warm if you'd like!
Okay, I know it seems like a lot of garlic, but garlic is so delicious, and so very healthy, it is a miracle food. My mom used to call it a miracle herb.  Not only is it a proven antibiotic, antiviral, anti tumor, it helps prevent and cure cancer, bolsters your immune system, prevents and treats heart disease, prevents stroke, and that's the short list!! To learn more about garlic, read here.

-I roasted the sweet potato and russet potato, and broccoli the evening before as part of our dinner.  This was a great way to use my left overs.  Roasting is an excellent way to prepare most vegetables. Easy, and makes everything more delicious!  I washed the potatoes well, left the skin on both the sweet potato AND the russet potato.  I cut each potato in half, in half again they long way, then each piece in thirds.  Big chunks.  Tossed in olive oil, salt and pepper, then roasted/baked at a 400 degree oven for approx. 45 minutes.  GREAT side dish! Alternatively, you could bake each the potato and sweet potato whole for an hour at 350 degrees, then cut into desired size.

-The broccoli I did basically the same way.  See my recipe here!

-I then cut the potato chunks and broccoli florets smaller for this salad.

Any veggies you like can be placed in this salad.  This is just particularly delicious, and substantial. Actually, this salad is FANTASTIC!  This is my daughter Madeline's favorite salad for her cold lunch at school!  This is an excellent meal in one bowl! Will keep in the fridge easily for a week... with all of that garlic, onions and curry- no bad bacteria would grow anytime soon:) Rockin' healthy, comfort foodish, super healthy, protein, vitamins, minerals, beta carotene, phyto -nutrients, fiber- this dish HAS IT ALL.

Experiment with quinoa. You won't regret it!

Yours in health,
Natalie