quinoa Archives - The Tasty Fork

Salmon with Avocado Pesto & Tomato Quinoa Salad

May 26, 2013 by admin · 2 Comments

Since Memorial Day is the official kick off to summer, it’s time to use your grill. I’m sure many of my readers will be using a grill this weekend. It’s the patriotic thing to do. But instead of grilling the typical burgers or brats, why not try something different?? Today over at The NY Melrose Family, I’m sharing Grilled Salmon with Avocado Pesto & Tomato Quinoa Salad. It’s a healthy recipe and totally delicious! Click now to get the recipe!

Filed Under: Fish, Grill, Guest Posts · Tagged With: grilled salmon, pesto, quinoa, salmon recipe

Southwestern Steak & Quinoa Salad

March 7, 2013 by admin · 8 Comments

I love healthy food when it doesn’t taste like healthy food. We all know there is nothing more sad than diet food. Boring salads, bland chicken breasts, pretending that fat free-sugar free pudding is a dessert – No Thanks!

If I’m going to post a healthy salad recipe, trust me, it’s going to be delicious. If you haven’t tried quinoa yet, what are you waiting for?? It’s packed with protein, has lots of fiber and iron. It’s very versatile but I think it pairs great with vegetables. To give quinoa the most flavor possible, I always cook it in some kind of stock. It absorbs the flavor while it’s cooking. Since I was going for a Southwestern vibe for this meal, I added cumin to the stock and I could of eaten the quinoa just like that. Keep that trick in mind if you’re ever looking for a quick side dish. Quinoa + Stock + Seasoning = OMG SO GOOD!

Once the quinoa is cooked, add the Cilantro Lime & Honey dressing immediately along with the vegetables. You can pick your favorites, but the veggies I selected are corn, black beans, avocado, orange peppers, tomatoes, squash and onion.

To make this meal a bit more hearty, I made a citrus marinade for skirt steak. It had a lot of the same flavors that’s in the quinoa salad. If you aren’t familiar with cooking skirt steak, Jaden has an excellent step by step tutorial on The Tasty Kitchen. I highly recommend checking it out!

This recipe is quick and easy! Perfect thing to eat after a busy day. It’s also a meal you can feel good about eating. It’s rich in protein, gluten free, dairy free and visually appealing. It’s so delicious – your family won’t know they’re eating a healthy meal.

Southwestern Steak & Quinoa Salad

Ingredients

For The Steak:

1.5 flank steak, trimmed of visible fat
Juice 2 limes
1 tbsp orange juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp fresh chopped cilantro
1/2 jalapeno, minced
1 tbsp ground cumin
2 tsp sweet smoked paprika
1/2 tsp ground cayenne pepper
2 tsp olive oil, divided

For the Quinoa Salad:

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup olive oil
1 tbsp honey
2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
Salt & pepper to taste
2 cups stock
1 tsp ground cumin
1 cup uncooked quinoa
1 small onion, diced
1 squash, chopped
1 (10 oz) can corn, drained
1 (10 oz) can black beans, drained & rinses
1 tomato, diced
1 pepper, any color
1 avocado, diced

Instructions

To make Steak:

1. Season steak with salt & pepper on both sides. Place in a resealable bag. To make marinade, combine lime juice and the next 7 ingredients. Add 1 tsp of oil; stir. Add to bag with steak. Seal and massage bag to coat beef. Refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight
2. Heat remaining 1 tsp oil in a cast iron grill pan on medium. Add steak and cook for 2 to 3 minutes per side for medium-rare. Remove steak from pan, cover loosely with foil and let rest for about 3 minutes. Slice across the grain into thin slices. Serve with quinoa salad.

To make Quinoa Salad:

1. Make dressing by combining lemon juice, oil, honey & cilantro in a small bowl. Stir and taste; add salt & pepper. Set aside.
2. In a medium sauce pan, add stock, cumin and quinoa. Over medium heat, bring to a boil. Cover with a lid and simmer for 15 minutes. When all of the liquid is gone, remove from heat and let it sit for 5 minutes. Fluff with fork and add quinoa to a large bowl. Pour dressing over quinoa.
3. In a skillet coated with cooking spray, add onion and squash. Cook until soft, 8 minutes. Add onion mixture to the bowl with quinoa.
4. Add the rest of the salad ingredients to the quinoa. Fold ingredients until well combined. Salad can be served immediately or kept in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

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Filed Under: Beef, Recipes, Salad · Tagged With: Dinner recipe, easy recipe, quinoa, Salad, steak

New Recipe: Grilled Corn, Feta Cheese & Quinoa Salad – Gluten Free, Vegetarian Meal

July 25, 2012 by Miss Tasty · 4 Comments

Soooo, I know I’ve been neglected my blog duties for the last few months… My excuse – it’s a mixture of being busy & lazy. Does that make sense??

I had intentions of sharing all of the wonderful things I’ve been making. I took the time to take pictures of recipes…but no motivation to hop onto my computer and write everything down.

After being told my recipes were missed on the world wide web, I decided I needed to get back to something I truly love to do!

Are you ready?? Here we go!

I’m happy to report I’m finally cooking for two. Me & the hubby. I’m shocked he’s ok with me making healthy girlie salads. And it’s not like I’m pulling a fast one on him. He’s been going to the grocery store for me and sticking to the list. I think he’s on board with it!

This salad tastes like summer. Sweet grilled corn, juicy cherry tomatoes, spicy jalapeno and fresh basil. So good! Cooking the quinoa and adding it to the veggies & cheese makes the whole salad melt to together. It’s topped off with a zesty lemon & garlic dressing. Perfect to eat warm. It’s even better if you wait a day and eat it cold the next day.

Grilled Corn, Feta Cheese & Quinoa Salad, serves 4

2-3 ears fresh corn, husked
1 cup quinoa, uncooked
2 cups chicken stock or water
¾ cup crumbled feta
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
1 15-ounce can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/2 red onion, diced
1 jalapeno pepper, diced (can be omitted)
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
1 garlic clove, minced
Salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste
4-5 basil leaves

Directions

1. Turn on the grill. Rub olive oil onto corn and sprinkle with salt & pepper. Cook the on the grill for 8 minutes. Be sure to rotate corn so all sides get evenly cooked. When the corn is done, let it cool. When corn is cool enough to work with, remove kernels with a knife. I’ve found this method is easiest. You won’t be picking corn kernels off the floor.

2. Add quinoa and chicken stock or water to a sauce pan. Bring to boil. Reduce to a simmer and cover pan. Cook for 10-15 minutes, or until all liquid has reduced. Fluff with fork.

3. Cut up all of the veggies and add them to the bowl with corn. Add chick peas. When the quinoa is done cooking, add it to the veggies mixture.

4. To make the salad dressing, add minced garlic, lemon juice and olive oil. Season with salt & pepper. Pour salad dressing over quinoa & veggies. Top with feta cheese and fold into the salad. Top with basil.