September 2013

Tomato Avocado and Olive Quinoa Salad – SRC

by Suzanne on September 15, 2013

Tomato Avocado and Olive Quinoa Salad

Quinoa has become the new healthy “go to” food of the year.  Maybe the decade.  Maybe even for the millinium.  It has been declared 2013 by the Food and Agriculture Organization as the “International Year of the Quinoa”.  It is an easily prepared and nutrient packed food that is delicious and satisfying. Well, some might say that “delicious” is taking it a little too far.  But I would argue that they just haven’t tasted it prepared properly or with complementary flavors. . . Until now. The month for the Secret Recipe Club, I was partnered with Corina who blogs over at Searching for Spice.  As the name of her blog infers, Corina’s recipes are filled with both common and not so common spice ingredients.  She is a master at taking simple ingredients and, by adding just the right spices, making a ho-hum piece of chicken into a 5-star dish! On Corina’s blog, you will find such dishes as Brazilian Chicken Stew, Stuffed Aubergine Curry (which I almost made because I have two small ones in the refrigerator now), Lemon and Parsley Sauce for Fish, and Sweet Potato, Lentil and Tahini Soup.  See, I told you that spices are definitely the theme throughout her dishes.  And I am really wanting to make her Pad Thai with Chicken because of the fresh, crunchy green beans that she uses in her recipe.  Corina has inspired me to become more adventurous in the spices that I use in dishes! The original recipe for this dish came from Jamie Oliver and was made with pasta.  But I really liked the idea of something other than pasta, and since I’m trying to incorporate more quinoa into our diet, it seemed the perfect match. 5.0 from 1 reviews Print Tomato Avocado and Olive Quinoa Salad – SRC Author: Suzanne Collier, adapted from Corina’s blog, Searching for Spice Recipe type: Salad Cuisine: Meditteranean Prep time:  10 mins Cook time:  15 mins Total time:  25 mins Serves: 4   This is a delicious, protein packed, vegan salad. But it isn’t snooty or off-putting. It will satisfy the whole family, so be sure and make it often! Ingredients 1 cup dry Red Quinoa, prepared according to directions 1 cup Cherry tTomatoes, quartered 1 Avocado, cubed 1 cup Pimento-Stuffed Green Olives, sliced 1 small Cucumber, diced 1 clove fresh Garlic, minced 1 tsp freeze-dried Chives 1 tsp freeze-dried Basil 2 Tbsp Rice Wine Vinegar 2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive oil 1 tsp Pink Himalayan Sea Salt 1 […]

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