Sarge's metabolism has finally caught up with him.
Pardon me a moment.
AAAHAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAA!!!!!
Ok.
So he has decided that WE are going on a healthy eating, meal overhaul. Oh joy. Well, admitidly we are both in need of this. We exercise, but don't necessarily always eat well. Lots of starches, bread, rice, potatos, pasta, too much butter and margarine, way too much salt and sugar. Yeah.
Sarge insists that he and I eat as few carbs as possible. This sucks. Our meals should be made up of fresh fruit, vegetables, lean proteins, and healthy fats.
Yay. Not.
He ALSO has it in his head that all grains are bad, no seeds, no legumes. WHAAA?!? Screw that, I'm still eating my cheereos and oatmeal.
Anyway, since we are on this "healthy" kick, I though I would put up my Sarge approved super simple Quinoa salad.
You need some Quinoa, fresh veggies, we use cucumber, tomato, red onion, all diced. One can of Black Beans drained and rinsed, one can of chickpeas also drained and rinsed (I know, legumes, but Sarge likes them), 1 package of crumbled fetta cheese. Fresh ground pepper, salt, and olive oil.
Cook your Quinoa according to package directions. Be sure not to over cook, or your Quinoa will lose it's crunch. I use about 8 oz, or half of a box of Trader Joe's Quinoa. Rinse in cold water, and drain well.
Mix together your veggies, cheese, beans, and Quinoa. Add about 3 Tbsp. olive oil, more if you find your salad to be too dry. Add some pepper to taste, and a very little salt; not too much because as your salad sits in the fridge the Fetta cheese will salt it up a little more (found this out the hard way). You may omit the salt alltoghther if you wish.
Store salad in the fridge. Eat it just as it is, or be like me, and mix in some baby spinach or arugula. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, almond slivers, rasins, or cranberies. I guess you can also add some grilled chicken to it as well.
Yum, YUM!!
Of course you can add whatever fresh vegetables you like. Other options would be heart of palm, artichoke hearts, beets, olives, The Librarian suggested some lemon juice. Really, you could add just about anything I think.
7 comments:
Is this a bad time to say that it looks like it would be good rolled up in a tortilla.....?
...with a beer....???
It looks quite yummy!
We are kind of sort of attempting the healthier eating thing. We just keep falling off the wagon. But any improvement is a good thing, right?
Oh forget the drastic change....just start with eliminating the weekly consumption of butter in the costco sized tubs! That will probably drop 10 pounds a year.
-The Librarian.
P. Mom: It probably would be really good in a tortilla. I would never have thought of that! Must try it next time.
Rebecca: It's hard to mak a big change all at once. I think that as long as you make an effort to get more fresh fruit and veg. in, you're doing well. And avoid fast food, or pre-packaged foods of any kind. Not that I'm an expert, but that just seems logical to me.
Librarian: Yeah, tell me about it, I have to pry the butter knife out of his hand.
After all this, we're at the movies tonight, and I ask him to go get some popcorn and sodas for us. Hey, it's a treat to be out! What does he come back with?! Sodas, popcorn, AND seasoned curly fries smothered in cheeze!!! And then he tells me, all excited. "They have a butter dispenser here!!!" Can I just tell you, that our popcorn was GLISTENING!! Bad, bad man!
I've been hearing about this quinoa stuff for a while but never bought or prepared any.
Tomorrow I'll go to the bulk store and get some.
But your salady thing looks similar to what I make, sans the quinoa. I usually mix up the beans with some green or red pepper, pickled beets, tuna or chopped chicken, the feta cheese, and some dressing.
It can feed me for about 4 lunches.
I can't have tuna at night when the husband is around as it makes him sick. Please.
Hey, will they have quinoa in Chermany?
Yum, Tanya E. I love beets. But Sarge is not about that. Maybe next time I'll make some on the side. This is such a good lunch, the Quinoa has such a yummy crunch and nutty flavor.
I'm planning ahead and buying lots of Quinoa, I think that the movers pack up out dry goods. Either way, I have the hook up with the Librarian, I'll bribe her with some kind of German goodies for the occasional Trader Joe's care package.
Mdg, I love your Quinoa ideas. I love to cook and your suggestions sound amazing! Thanks for the heads up! :)
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