Fiber, protein, calcium and iron? Oh my!

You know you love something when you start ordering it in bulk from Amazon (and it isn't just to make sure that Prime membership pays off). That is where we are with regard to quinoa.

This is a grain about which there has been a LOT of buzz. The so-called 'Quinoa Sisters', Patricia Green and Carolyn Hemming, who wrote "Quinoa: The Everyday Superfood", gush that
"Quinoa can promote weight loss, building muscle, alleviate migraine headaches, help diabetes, promote cardiovascular health and prevent hardening of the arteries. It has also been linked to helping prevent breast cancer, childhood asthma, gallstones and acts as a super antioxidant."

(Wow. If only it could lead to world peace)

Although it isn't technically a grain, since the quinoa plant is not a member of the grass family, it is high in dietary fiber, like wholegrains, and also high in protein, calcium, iron and magnesium. It is also gluten-free.

Just as importantly, when it comes to my sanity and satisfying my family's ever-growing appetites, both my husband and kids seem to love it, and whatever left-overs there are, are very popular additions to lunchboxes the following day. I have also taken this recipe to many pot-lucks and always return home with a bowl that looks to have been licked clean.

I am sure this will not be the only quinoa recipe I end up posting up here, but this is the first quinoa dish I made, and one that I go back to again and again. It is my own invention, apart from the dressing, for which I thank the inimitable Linda McCartney. If you hate it, blame me and me alone, since Linda is sadly no longer with us. The ingredients are variable depending on what I remembered to put on the shopping list - my only stipulation is that it looks pretty, and that is not hard to achieve with quinoa.

Lemony Quinoa Salad
(Makes enough to feed a hungry family, with lunchbox leftovers)

2 cups uncooked quinoa (I like the red quinoa, as shown in the picture above)
3 cups water
1 large yellow bell pepper, diced
1 pint red grape tomatoes, halved or quartered
1 small jar of green Spanish pimento-stuffed olives, quartered
1 cup chopped Italian parsley
1 15 oz can of low sodium black beans, drained and rinsed
grated zest of 1 lemon

Dressing:
2 TBSP fresh lemon juice
2 TBSP white wine vinegar
2 tsp wholegrain mustard
5 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
freshly ground salt and pepper

1. Put quinoa in a pan with the water and bring to the boil on high heat. As soon as it boils, cover and turn heat down the low. Cook for 20 minutes by which time water should have evaporated and the quinoa grains will have 'popped open' which reveals the germ of the kernel (the little white lines you can see around the grains in the photo below)

2. Let the quinoa cool to room temperature, and then toss with the remaining salad ingredients.
3. Stir in the dressing - note that this dressing recipe makes a LOT of dressing. You probably won't need all of it, but it is delicious on spinach as a side :-)