Sunday, February 10, 2008

My Computer Literacy Rate is 5%

I have been writing this blog for the past few months and always had a problem with my pictures. They would always be cut off and when you scroll over the picture you can't click and open the picture in a new window. I consulted my friend who's good with computers and he showed me what I was doing wrong (apparently, there is a button on the top of the "new post" screen where it says "add image"). Goddamn I am such a ditz. It was right there in front of me the whole time. So anyway, from now on my pics should appear in normal blogger fashion; not the way I was posting them before.


I've seen many recipes for things like Rice Salad, Bulgar Salad, and Quinoa Salad and they all sound gross. Why would I want a salad that the base ingredient is a grain or grain-like? After all a salad to me should be fresh tasting and make you feel all healthy. And grains are more comforting to me; not so fresh. I was thinking this until I came across some website (can't remember which one) where there was a Toasted Quinoa Salad where the ingredients sounded really good. So I went with it, and soon enough I made it. It's actually very good and super easy to make. It takes only about 20-25 minutes (not including waiting times) so it's great for when you are having a lazy Sunday like I am today. This salad mix is tangy and spicy and fresh tasting above all.

Toasted Quinoa Salad:





Ingredients:

3/4 cup uncooked quinoa
1-1/2 cups vegetable broth or water
1 carrot, peeled and diced
1 red bell pepper (capsicum), diced
1/4 cup minced parsley or cilantro (cilantro works best, in my opinion)
2 sliced green onions (scallions)
Juice of 1 small lemon
Juice of 1 small lime
2 Tbsp. soy sauce, tamari, or Bragg's Liquid Aminos
2 cloves garlic, minced finely
2 tsp. Asian garlic chili sauce or hot sauce of choice


Preparation:

Rinse Quinoa and drain. Put in a pot and toast over medium heat until a few grains begin to pop. Add broth or water and bring to a boil. Turn down heat, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and let quinoa cool, covered, for 10-15 minutes.

Mix carrot, red bell pepper, cilantro or parsley, and green onion in a large bowl. Add cooled quinoa and toss to combine. Whisk together lemon and lime juices, soy sauce, garlic and hot sauce. Pour over salad and mix well.

Chill until serving.

You can add some fresh raw vegetables to this like peas, green beans, corn, etc. I added some sugar snap peas (as you can see from the picture).

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