Lemony Quinoa Salad

I've said it before, but it bears repeating: quinoa is the best! It's inexpensive, versatile, gluten-free, and is a complete protein that is plant-based. It also contains a ton of fiber and iron. It's a staple in my kitchen and hopefully yours too. So naturally having a simple go-to recipe for quinoa is a valuable resource.

This quinoa salad is anything but bland. It's a simple recipe, yet very tasty and very nutritious. Cucumber, lemon juice and zest keep things refreshing while the raw hemp seeds add some extra protein and healthy fat. I love this salad to bits and it's probably one of my favourite combinations that I've made to date.

All it takes is one pot and a bowl to combine everything. The best part is, it's an easy way to help you incorporate healthy eating into lunches and weeknight meals.

Just a reminder though, it's important to rinse your quinoa thoroughly before cooking it to remove the saponin, which gives the grain a bitter taste. Rinsing this bitter coating off also make the quinoa more easily digestible. The first time I ever made quinoa I neglected to do the rinse simply because I didn't know any better...and the results? Yuck!!! I remember thinking, "what am I doing wrong? Is it supposed to taste this way?" Yeah...no.

The hemp seeds are from North Coast Naturals and are 100% Canadian and raw. I've been iffy about hemp seeds in the past, but these are delicious. When I opened up the bag to take a scoop out what struck me was how incredibly fresh they were.

The taste is light and creamy from the crumbled goat cheese. I seriously can't stop eating this! It's a huge hit with everyone in my house. I can't get over this one! When I was creating this recipe I really had the idea in mind to serve it warm, but unfortunately I didn't get to devour this the day I made it. Instead I was making it for lunches to have the following day. So I reheated it to take the cold edge off and it was as good as gold. What I loved was how that little bit of heat warmed up the cucumber and slightly melted the creamy goat cheese, making it even more creamy. It reminded me of the cucumber and cream cheese tea sandwiches I would sometimes get back-in-the-day.

Lemony Quinoa Salad gluten-free, grain-free | Yields 3 servings

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Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups water
• 3/4 cup quinoa
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced
• 2 scallions (green onions), minced
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup cucumber, sliced and quartered
• 3 tbsp raw hemp seed hearts (I used 1 scoop of North Coast Naturals)
• 1/4-1/2 cup goat cheese, crumbled
• salt and pepper

Instructions:

1. Rinse your quinoa in a fine-meshed sieve under running water for 1-2 minutes.
2. Bring the water to a boil in a covered pot. Stir in the quinoa, cover, and lower the heat to a simmer. Simmer for 15 minutes. Do not stir while it cooks. Once cooking is finished (the water should be absorbed and the quinoa tender), remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes.
3. While the quinoa rests, grab a large mixing bowl and whisk to combine the lemon juice, zest, green onions, olive oil, and salt & pepper to taste. 
4. Give the quinoa a fluff with a fork and then add it to mixing bowl with lemon dressing. Add the raw hemp seeds and sliced cucumber along with the quinoa and stir or toss to combine everything. Serve warm and top with crumbled goat cheese.

Nutritional Information:

Serving Size: 1/4 of the recipe Calories: 243 Fat: 11g Cholesterol: 25mg Fat: Sodium: 92g Carbohydrates: 26g Sugar: 2g Fiber: 4g Protein: 12g

Maple Pumpkin Granola

Is it breakfast time yet?

As we get further into fall and closer to the holiday season I find that my ideas for recipes and blog posts are coming at me left and right. What's up with that? Autumn is one of my favourite times of year. Maybe that has something to do with. There's so much fresh local produce to choose from, pumpkin is in abundance, and warm spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger are working their way into everyday baking.

I'm keeping things on the simple side today. I've had this granola recipe in my head for a while now. I think I stumbled across a recipe online, and then again, while I was at the grocery store I saw some quinoa granola on the shelf. I thought hey that's a great idea, you can up the protein of the granola and add some extra crunch action at the same time. Brilliant! Quinoa is such a perfect addition to granola.

It's always more fun to DIY. Enter this recipe.

After I rinsed the quinoa I tossed it in with the rest of the dry ingredients, gently heated up the wet ingredients and mixed them together, I baked it to perfection without stirring. Instead, I rotate the pan in the oven once or twice for even baking. This way you get all those lovely clusters of granola. The only hard part is not touching it when it comes out of the oven and letting it completely cool.

After you feast your eyes on this homemade granola you'll be longing for lazy weekend mornings.

Maple Pumpkin Granola gluten free, vegan, vegetarian | makes about 5 cups

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Ingredients:

• 2 cups rolled oats
• 1/2 cup quinoa, rinse
• 1/3 cup pumpkins seeds
• 1 cup slivered almonds
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 3 tbsp coconut oil, melted (or other vegetable oil)
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup pumpkin purée
• 1/2 cup dried cherries (or other dried fruit)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 300˚F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, mix together oats, quinoa, pumpkin seeds, slivered almonds, salt and spices.
3. In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, warm the coconut oil, maple syrup, vanilla, and pumpkin purée. Pour over the oat mixture and mix until combined.
4. Spread the mixture out evenly onto prepared baking sheet, pat down, and bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.
5. Remove from oven and sprinkle the dried cherries over top of the granola. Let cool completely, then break up into pieces and serve, or store in an airtight container.

*Tips*

• I find that not stirring the granola while it bakes is one of the keys to getting tons of clusters. So instead of stirring, just rotate the cookie sheet a couple times during baking to ensure even browning.

Nutrition Information

Serving Size: 1/2 cup Calories: 275 Fat: 13g Saturated Fat: 4.6g Cholesterol: 0mg Carbohydrates: 33.7g Sugar: 12g Sodium: 52mg Fiber: 4.5g Protein: 7g