Linda Gassenheimer | Tribune News Service I had a light and refreshing salad bowl dinner at a friend’s home and decided to make one at home during these warm days. I used quinoa as the base for a vegetarian meal. Quinoa is an ancient grain originating in the mountains of Bolivia, Chile and Peru.
It’s also considered a complete protein, which means that it contains all nine of the essential amino acids. There are hundreds of different types of quinoas. The most common ones are white, red and black.
I used a multi-color one for this dinner. Any type will work. Quinoa needs to be cooked for about 15 minutes.
Start it cooking first while you prepare the other ingredients. HELPFUL HINTS: Microwaveable brown rice can be used instead of quinoa. Use 3/4 cup cooked rice per person.
Any type of nuts can be used such as pecans or almonds. Look for shredded carrots in the supermarket. COUNTDOWN: Start quinoa cooking.
Prepare the remaining ingredients and place them in two bowls. SHOPPING LIST: To buy: 1 package multi-color quinoa, 1 small bag broken walnuts, 1 container cherry tomatoes, 1 small avocado, 1 bag shredded carrots, 1 bag washed, ready-to-eat spinach, 1 container pitted black olives. 1 bottle reduced-fat salad dressing, 1 bunch parsley (optional garnish).
Recipe by Linda Gassenheimer 1/2 cup multi-color quinoa 1 cup water 1/2 cup broken walnuts toasted 3 cups fresh ready-to-eat spinach 1 small avocado, seeded peeled and sliced 1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half 1 cup shred.
