Quinoa Salad with Fresh Vegetables

Served on a lettuce leaf, this is a beautiful side salad. 

Son #3 was all about magnesium this morning.  He wanted to talk about the benefits, what it does for your body, how he takes a supplement, and ya di ya....  I know magnesium is really good for you so I cracked open my nutrition books and another book which I love, The World's Healthiest Foods by George Mateljan, to refresh my memory on sources of this wonderful element.  The best sources are dark leafy greens such as chards and spinach (but of course!).  However, it is abundant in many of our foods if you love to eat vegetables, beans, seeds, and cold water fish such as halibut and salmon.  Tofu is also a good source of magnesium.

Inspired by Taylor's enthusiasm, I decided to create a salad recipe using the food guides for magnesium.  Pumpkin seeds were added because they were in the "very good" category as a contributor for magnesium.  Quinoa and tomatoes also provide decent doses of magnesium.

In the salad here, I soaked red quinoa, drained it, and then forgot about it for a couple of days while we hosted a dinner party and, well, it got lost behind all the food in the fridge.  It was sprouting!  No worries.  I gave it a quick dip in hot water to soften it and it is delicious and sweet.



Red or white quinoa will suffice.

Servings:  3 as a main dish, 6 as a side dish
Prep time:  not counting the time I forgot it was in the refrigerator, about 30 minutes

1 C. quinoa, rinsed and drained, then cooked
A handful of mixed cherry tomatoes, quartered
Fresh corn shaved off of one cob
Several sprigs cilantro finely chopped, a few sprigs left for decoration
3 scallions thinly sliced, white parts only
1/4 C. pumpkin seeds
1/2 lemon juiced, a tablespoon or so of olive oil, salt, and pepper, added to dress the salad

The quinoa is underneath all the yummy additions to the salad.

Toss all the ingredients together with dressing.  People think I am crazy but I usually just squeeze a lemon or lime over the salad, drizzle with oil, then season with salt and pepper.  I toss with my hands and taste frequently to make sure the dressing or seasoning is right. 

Raw pumpkin seeds are a very good source of magnesium.

This salad provides about 220 calories as a side dish with about 4 grams fiber, 7 grams protein, and about 8 grams fat, most of which is mono- or poly-unsaturated.  Over half the daily required amount of copper, manganese, and iron are in this salad with magnesium coming in at about 1/3 the daily requirement.

So back to magnesium.  It is vital to bone health in that it helps with bone mineralization.  It is vital to the ATP cycle (think energy production in our cells), helps with myelin sheath health (nerves), heart health and immune function boosts.  Magnesium relaxes muscles and nerves.  It is hard to overdose on magnesium, but the common symptoms are diahrrea if you decide to up your intake of it. 

As always, your best sources of nutrients to stay healthy are in the food choices you make in your diet.

Experiment and enjoy!

- Kim Fielding

Autumn Fruit Salad

Figs, pears, apples, grapes, mango and pomegranate seeds.
All of these are fresh for the season and inexpensive because of it.

Fruits, either sliced or as a salad can complete a meal without ice cream and extra calories.  This salad was presented as dessert for one of our Healthy Living meals and it was delicious.  As we move into the winter months, citrus is a prevalent fruit along with pears and apples.  Find uncomplicated ways to use them as part of your meal and to satisfy your desire for something sweet.

Guaco Garbanzo Salad

Have you ever ordered a chicken quesadilla with sour cream, guacamole, and salsa?  This is like that only without the cheese, tortillas, sour cream, and chicken.  My favorite part about a quesadilla has always been the condiments.

One of the great things about blogging food is that we meet really great people along the way who introduce us to even more foodies, and they are interested in even more different things than we ever conceived.  This recipe is the product of those associations.

We are blessed with an abundant garden.  For this salad we used kales, tomatoes, and basil from our plot.   A can of garbanzos, a couple of avocados, and lemons, completed the required ingredients for this recipe.  The inspiration for this is from http://www.glutenfreecat.com.  Check out the website if you are gluten-sensitive. 

Prep time:  15 minutes

Serves: 4 as a main dish, 6-8 as a side dish

2 tablespoons minced scallions or red onion

1 clove garlic

1/2 lemon, juiced

pinch of salt

handful of fresh basil or cilantro

2 avocados

1 stalk celery, minced

1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

many handfuls of greens, your choice

1 cucumber, cut using a peeler or sliced into matchsticks

1 large carrot, cut using a peeler or sliced into matchsticks

several tomatoes, bite-size pieces

vinaigrette dressing or balsamic vinegar

In a blender or processor, mix together onion, garlic, lemon, salt, and 1/2 handful herb of choice.  Add one whole avocado and mix until almost smooth.

Finely chop the second avocado and add it to a bowl along with the ingredients from the blender.  Add in celery and garbanzos and gently stir to combine.

On a platter or wide bowl, place greens, cucumber, carrot, and tomatoes.  Drizzle with vinaigrette or just with balsamic vinegar as the original recipe suggests.

Our greens consisted of fresh lacinto kale, cucumber, and carrots

I like to use a mix of tomatoes and here we have cherry, grape, and roma tomatoes.

Top with avocado-garbanzo mixture and sprinkle with more herbs if desired.

Dive in!

Each serving, assuming four per recipe, offers less than 350 calories, 12 grams fiber (!), almost 9 g protein, your full compliment of most vitamins, and several minerals.  Potassium in this recipe reaches to 85% of your daily allowance.  Zinc and vitamin E are close behind.  Wow. 

- Kim Fielding

Cherry Tomato Salad

Vibrant colors, fresh produce, and a lively vinaigrette.
 This salad goes with any meal.

Cheery cherry tomatoes flourish in our gardens throughout the summer.  Because they are easy to grow, it seems everyone has a plant in their backyard this time of year.  Today's salad features simple preparation and presentation.  Using mixed color tomatoes or just a red variety is your choice.

Serves:  4
Prep time:   15 minutes

1 generous cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 recipe vinaigrette
1/4 cup torn basil leaves
Lettuces:  romaine, butter, green or red leaf, baby kales

Vinaigrette:
2 tablespoon light olive oil or canola oil, or one tablespoon of each
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
salt and pepper to taste, approximately one pinch salt and two or three grinds of pepper
 

Try to make pieces the same size.  Larger tomatoes may be cut into thirds.

Wash and blot dry all produce.  Cut cherry tomatoes for the salad.  Prepare the vinaigrette.

Basic vinaigrette is a staple in European households.  No one need buy dressing when this is so easy to prepare.  Dressings keep in the fridge for weeks.

Whisk together vinaigrette ingredients.  Or, place ingredients in a lidded jar and shake to emulsify.  Adjust seasoning to taste.

I prefer a two parts oil to one part vinegar dressing.  However, others like a less tart vinaigrette. Add a little more oil if need be.  Be sure to season to taste.  Remember, if it needs more tart, add more acid - vinegar.  If it needs taming down, add more oil.  Once you get the hang of making dressing at home, you can experiment with added herbs and spices to customize the recipe depending on what you are serving.

Tear the lettuces and place on a platter.  Mix together cut tomatoes and torn basil.  Add half of the dressing to tomatoes to moisten and stir.  Spoon the tomato mixture over the lettuces and drizzle salad with remaining vinaigrette. A sprinkling of coarse salt and coarse ground pepper may be added if you feel it needs it.  Not necessary though.

Each serving using mixed lettuces offers 73 calories, just less than 1 g fiber and protein, and 10% of your vitamin E requirement.  If you use just kale as your lettuce, the salad offers 86 calories, 1.2 g fiber, and 1.5 g protein.

Baby kales are now available in pre-washed packages at Trader Joes.  Because they are so young and tender, they don't have the strong earthy or bitter taste that some people are turned off by.  Try these.  They are a super food.

Lettuces in the above salad feature heirloom butter lettuce, kale, and romaine from our garden.  Lettuces are prolific garden specimens.  Several adult plants each will keep you in leaves for at least a few weeks. Trim lettuces for eating from the base of the stem and work upward as the plants grow.

- Kim Fielding

Farro Salad

The farro is lightly seasoned with chicken broth and is slightly creamy.

Several years ago I was lucky to have lunch at a delicious Italian restaurant in downtown Palo Alto which, sadly, is no longer in business.  This salad was on the menu and I have never forgotten it.  The original salad was served over tender mache, but any fresh soft lettuces will do.  The above mix features a variety of heirloom leaves.  Vibrant tomatoes add a wonderful contrast to the soft farro.

Serves:  4
Prep and cook time:  30 minutes

1 cup water, plus extra if needed
1/2 teaspoon chicken broth paste
1/3 cup farro
Lettuces
Vinaigrette - two parts extra virgin olive oil, one part vinegar, salt and pepper to taste (adjust amounts as needed per your preference).
Tomatoes

Thank you Costco for providing this otherwise expensive grain.

Mix together the chicken broth paste and water and bring to a boil.  Add the farro and cook according to package directions, stirring often, about 20 minutes or until farro is tender.  Add more water to keep the farro moist if needed.

I prefer this brand to old-fashioned boullion cubes becuase it doesn't contain MSG and has reduced sodium.

Prepare a light vinaigrette.  Place washed lettuces on a plate.  Add farro to the salad and put tomatoes around the farro.  Drizzle with vainaigrette and serve.

The salad offers around 215 calories, over 6 g protein, almost a full daily dose of manganese, and about 170 mg potassium.

- Kim Fielding

Green Salad with Strawberries

Fresh strawberries, arugula, scallions, and slivered almonds. 

Serves:  4
Prep time:  10 minutes

4 cups arugula lettuce
3 scallions, sliced
1 cup strawberries, washed and sliced into quarters
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1/4 cup vinaigrette dressing

Toss all together and serve as a side dish for any meal.

Calories per serving:  less than 100.

P.S.  Basic vinaigrette:  2 parts oil, 1 part vinegar, salt and pepper to taste.  Put all in a jar and shake to emulsify.  Add herbs or seasoning to taste.  That's it!

- Kim Fielding