This is definitely a new favorite thing of mine. Quinoa does have a lot of carbs but also TONS of vitamins and minerals for you. So, where I would easily use rice or potatoes this fills in nicely. It is also smoother and absorbs the flavors of what is being fixed more readily. You will note that earlier I made chili with it. It tasted like chili. Now I am using an asian-orange-beet combination. A lovely and healthy combination. Enjoy this.
We are about done being healthy. Pretty soon we will focus on SUPER BOWL food and Valentines Day. Maybe some of this healthy stuff will make it in there though!
What You Need:
- cooked quinoa
- 2 beets, trimmed and quartered
- Olive oil
- Sea salt
- 1/4 cup fruity olive oil
- 1/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar or rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon organic raw agave nectar or local honey
- 10 ounces of baby spinach leaves
- Sea salt and ground pepper, to taste
- 1 fresh orange, peeled, trimmed, cut into bite sized pieces
What You Do:
- Heat oven to 450
- Roast the beets in a medium size roasting pan, by combining the beets with a drizzle of olive oil and sprinkle of sea salt.
- Place the pan in the center of the oven and roast until the beets are tender (roughly 45 minutes). Remove the beets from the hot pan and set them aside to cool.
- When cool enough to handle, rub off the skin.
- Cut the beets into bite sized pieces.
- Cook 1 cup of quinoa
- Combine the olive oil, orange juice, soy sauce, vinegar, and agave in a glass measuring cup and whisk.
- Set aside.
- Combine the warm, cooked quinoa in a mixing bowl with the baby spinach leaves.
- Pour in the salad dressing and toss lightly.
- Season with sea salt and pepper, to taste.
- Gently add in the cut up roasted beets and fresh orange pieces.
- Do not over mix or your entire salad will turn beet red.
To make the dressing:
http://www.tumbleweedcontessa.com
I am going to ramble about this at some of these fun parties.


Facebook
Twitter
GooglePlus
Pinterest
BlogLovin