Keen for Quinoa

One day I decided I needed to stop filling up on bread and starting finding more nutritious ways to fuel my body. I approached my brother Nigel for some advice. This is pretty much how our conversation went:

Alyssa: "I'm always starving unless I eat a whole lot of carbs with each meal"

Nigel: "You should try quinoa"

Alyssa: "Quinoa is disgusting...I want good food"

Nigel: "Not only is it DELICIOUS, it's good for you!"

Alyssa: "I don't believe you."

Nigel: "Try this recipe."

Quinoa Salad

Inspired by: Nigel (yogawithnigel.com)

Serves: 2-4 people, depending on what you're eating it with
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes 
Cooling time: a few hours but feels like forever when you're hungry.

Your Shopping List:

1 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained

2 cups low sodium vegetable broth (or chicken broth, or water - you may just add more salt after)

2-3 cloves of garlic, minced or crushed

2 Tbsp Extra-Virgin olive oil

1/4 cup lemon juice, the fresher the better

1/2 English cucumber, diced

1 medium pepper (red, orange, or yellow), diced
1/2 pint of cherry or grape tomatoes (optional)

1/2 cup red onion, diced (optional)

1/4 cup feta, crumbled (optional)

oregano, to taste

salt & pepper, to taste

What to do with it:

1. Add quinoa to a medium saucepan and bring broth or water to a boil.
2. Cover and reduce heat to low, allowing the quinoa to simmer. 
3. Set timer for 15 minutes, because the quinoa will be done after about that much time.
4. If you haven't already, now is a good time to cut up the veggies.
5. Once the quinoa is cooked, add the garlic and olive oil and then mix it up. Transfer to cold bowl.
6. To cool your quinoa, stick it in the fridge or freezer.
7. Once cool, add the rest of the ingredients!
8. EAT it up.

Taste your salad along the way! The first time I made it, I measured out ingredients but I don't do that past the cooking of the quinoa stage. I possibly add more or less lemon juice than I wrote... I will never know/have the patience to measure it. 

My reaction...

Alyssa: "I'm keen for quinoa!"

I'm also keen for Cuban beaches!

and I hope you will be too :)