by Kathy Nida
Quinoa salad with cucumber, tomato and feta
My daughter turned into a gourmet cook at about the age of 14. She’s seen every Food Network show ever made. I text her at college when I need a replacement for buttermilk or can’t find the chia seeds at the grocery store. She can tell me the aisle and what’s around it.
I was a fair to middling cook before she started her journey into foodie status. I could cook reasonably well, but depended more on the microwave and dried spices than I do now. I had never used fresh garlic. I hadn’t made spaghetti sauce from scratch, let alone pesto or risotto. I had tried many things when I was first married: hummus, naan bread, even gnocchi. I just wasn’t very good at cooking outside the box.
Then this kid of mine, she bustled into the kitchen, demanded new knives and a few microplanes, and transformed how we all ate. Because of her, I now use almost all fresh spices, made a delicious leek bacon risotto for my school lunches this week, and regularly am searching the store for exotic ingredients.
Quinoa was one thing she made us eat that I’ve appreciated even more now that she’s at college. It cooks up easily, takes on fresh veggies and meat like a boss, and is cute and curly on top of all that. A small amount fills me up, always a plus for those of us with the scale weighing on our minds. It also has a delicious nutty flavor, much better than the rice I relied on in my early cooking years.
Even better, it’s high in protein, which helps vegetarians and vegans reach their nutritional needs, it’s gluten-free for those of us who need to control intake, and it has many useful nutrients like iron and fiber. Amusingly, NASA considers it a perfect food for long space flights, because it provides a high protein to carbohydrate ratio. I’ll keep that in mind the next time I board a space shuttle.
There are many recipes available for quinoa online, but 30 Pounds/4 Months has a particularly tasty version of Curried Quinoa Pilaf with carrots, tomatoes, and a dash of feta. It works for me, being a fan of curry. Honestly, you could pair any meat and vegetables with quinoa and some fresh spices and they would work well together. The next time you reach for a bag of rice at the store, look around a bit and try some quinoa instead. It’s better for you.
For some quinoa tips and that tasty curry recipe, check out 30 Pounds/4 Months, the natural foods diet and cookbook par excellence. Order the Kindle version from Amazon, or if you prefer a print copy for your kitchen, and leave a message.
Image: DepositPhotos, © 2016 sarsmis