Colorful Red Quinoa not so Tabbouleh Salad

From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen


This weekend we had a busy schedule. We hardly found ourselves at home due to all of our practices. I tried really hard to still eat healthy and to have enough protein to continue to have energy during our busy schedules and I can finally say today that I survived. You know what did it for me? Well, of course God's strength but Primal vegan jerky. I have not reviewed this product yet but it was a bot of an energy life saving food that came in handy. Review to come soon!





I look forward cooking some nice meals this week despite another busy weekend in Holland. Tulip Time Show will soon be gone and over and our lives will be back.





Last week I made some delicious new creations for lunch that also ended up as dinner on 2 sepearate days. Knowing my calorie intake has been an experience and a challenge. Do you know how much you put in your mouth? It is incredible that calories add up, and if I did not have a consistent work out no wonder I was gaining weight. Since Ryan and I have been counting calories we have been working out like fiends. Well, not technically. He has been embracing racquetball and it is exciting to me to play with my husband, especially when he looks at me with nice wide eyes and almost pants "Hey, how about some racquetball???" I love him! He has been a great encouragement so knowing what foods to prepare during the week are fun to make up.





One of the things I have been enjoying is using my juicer. I have been experimenting with different vegetables and only juicing twice a week. This is what I had:





From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen
On the left are leftover stems from my red kale I used, along with some broccoli stems,ginger, parsley, cabbage and carrots and Oh, some beets as well. It was very delicious and very filling.





From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen


If you have never juiced before, try it! It is invigorating and gives you a slight punch of energy after drinking it. You can even save the pulp and make muffins with them! I have yet to try it but I will soon.





Another recipe I created this past week was a quinoa salad. I have eaten quinoa before as breakfast cereal or as a side with my veggies but not as a salad. Since I like tabbouleh so much, I decided to start with that idea in mind and go from there.





Did you know that quinoa is a complete protein? It is a complete protein because it has all the essential amino acids to make it so. So this is healthier than wheat or rice. The Incans called it the "mother of all grains." How wonderful is it not? Ryan does not like eating it because he thinks they look like tiny spaceships and they are too crunchy for him, but he tends to be particular on tastes.:) You always have to rinse quinoa before cooking it because it has an outer layer that makes it bitter. Once you wash the quinoa, the flavor, once cooking it, becomes milder. Enjoy this recipe!





From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen


Colorful Red Quinoa not so Tabbouleh Salad





serves 4 small portions or 2 hearty portions





1 cup red quinoa

1 1/2 cups water

1 tsp salt

1/2 avocado, diced

1/2 tomato, diced

5 red radishes, diced

5 green onions, chopped

1/2 cup parsley, chopped

1/2 cup yellow pepper,diced

1/2 cup English cucumber, diced

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp tumeric

1/2 tsp cumin

3 1/2 Tbsp red wine vinegar

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil





Wash the 1 cup of quinoa in a colander for several seconds. Add quinoa, water and salt to a small pot and boil for 15 minutes. You will know it is cooked when it becomes soft and you see little white antennas pop from the grain.





Meanwhile, wash all your veggies well and chop and dice them accordingly.





Add all the veggies to a medium glass bowl and toss. In a small bowl mix the red wine vinegar, olive oil and all the spices and blend well. Add the vinagrette to the salad and enjoy.





Will keep for 1 day, but best eaten the same day.