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

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

Examples of healthy cold lunches

My daughters eat cold lunches most often at school.  Although I do not consider hot lunches to be healthy, we do have an agreement... We look through the lunch menu for that month, and highlight what is a possible lunch.  If I say yes to that lunch, they agree to eat raw fruits and veggies from the salad bar.
When Madeline was in kindergarten, I didn't allow her to have one hot lunch.  I had no idea how important it was to her, to try the hot lunch.  In first grade, she sat me down to discuss hot lunches.  She said "couldn't I just have a couple lunches a month?  Lunches that aren't the worst?"  " You know Mom, it wouldn't kill me".  My little first grader was right... it wouldn't kill her, and it was so important to her, to be more like her peers.  I didn't realize just how important it is to fit it, and to be like your peers.  Madeline already struggled being different with her dairy allergy.  We came to an agreement that has worked.

Madeline is now in 5th grade, and knows more about nutrition, and healthy foods, than most adults.  Julia is in 3rd grade, and is by nature is a healthy eater, and deeply defends why we all need to eat healthy foods.  Julia has had the luxury of being allowed to have hot lunch, even in kindergarten.  The whole "it's not fair" starts very, very early.

Today I have a simple example of pretty classic cold lunches at our house.  Today Julia is having salad, and Maddy is having a healthy PB&J.

This is and organic peanut butter from Woodman's by the label Organics.  It is organic, which means it doesn't have the pesticides, and partially hydrogenated oils that regular peanut butter has.  Peanuts are the most toxic of non organic foods, as it is the most heavily sprayed with pesticides.  Regular peanuts, and peanut butter, are literally poisonious to children under 3.  Partially hydrogenated oils, are also toxic, and cause cell death, and is linked to many diseases.  It is worth every penny to buy organic peanut butter!  It is then a super nutritious food!


As you can see, we've used an organic jelly as well.  This isn't my favorite kind.  My well intended husband picked this one up.  I prefer an all fruit organic jam or spread that is void of sugar.  This brand will work just fine, but has added sugar.  I prefer to save the sugar content for a small treat, and not in the sandwich.

The bread I used today, is both of the girls favorite!( I think it is their favorite, because it is not grainy, and is most like the bread that their peers eat.)  It is Oatmeal from Natural Ovens Bakery.  http://www.naturalovens.com/  This brand is void of corn syrup, partially hydrogenated oils, and all the bad stuff.  A bonus, is that it is local!  I love to support local companies!  I switch off between breads, and most often use sprouted grain bread.  This bread makes it much more of a treat to them.

This is Julia's lunch today!  She asked for a salad.  Julia LOVES salads!  This is a salad blend with lettuce, carrots, and purple cabbage.  I add more of the purple cabbabe.  ( We always have purple cabbage on hand, as an add to salads, stir frys, and Madeline loves it as a snack- yep I'm serious.)  I added walnuts for protein, and omega 3's, and am serving it with my homemade Honey French dressing.

Today I am sending the girls with 2 cuties, which are tangerines.  I am sending them with water, as I usually do.  Once in a blue moon, I will send them with Silk chocolate milk, or 100% juice.  For snack I am sending a frozen fruit blend that they both LOVE.  This is the Dole Wildy Nutritious Mixed Fruit.  It is a blend of pineapple, strawberries, mango, and peaches.  Frozen fruit is so easy, and delicious for snacks, and for smoothies.  I put the fruit into a leak proof tupperware, and by snack time, it is starting to thaw, and is a treat to my daughters.  I buy this HUGE 6lb. bag at Sam's Club, because of the great price!  $8.50 or so!

I do get asked a lot about what brands I use, and where I shop.  That's why I will include much of that information on my blog.  I also hear a lot, that it is expensive to eat healthy, natural, and organic.  I disagree, if you shop wisely, shop the best prices, and shop the sales.  This is one way I have contributed to my family- bargain shopping, while feeding them well.

If you have any questions, do not hesitate!

Yours in health,

Natalie