Party Quinoa Salad

Quinoa Salad

Quinoa is a very nutritious grain that originated in area surrounding Lake Titicaca in Peru and Bolivia in South America. It was cultivated by the pre-Colombian civilizations of the Andean region over many centuries. It became a highly cultivated grain because of its high balance and essential amino acids and proteins. Of course, the Andean native people of these regions didn't have this type of information, but certainly they knew how satisfied and energized they felt after eating it. 

I made this salad for our uncle's 80th birthday party and it was a big hit, mostly because of its flavor - Bragg's Liquid Aminos was the little secret, made from soy protein and often used as a soy sauce alternative.  

Quinoa can be cooked in large quantities to feed a lot of people! The recipe is for 5 cups of quinoa, but make it to your needs. 

 I used uncooked vegetables, cucumber, orange pepper, red pepper and some fresh tomatoes chopped into small cubes. The fresh herbs I used were Italian parsley and green onions. 

I also added several baked zucchini cooked on a cookie tray in the oven at 400 degree oven, till slightly browned. Make sure to douse the zucchini pieces with olive oil or butter. 

When you mix all the ingredients be generous with the Braggs, I used a 2/3 cup for 5 cups of uncooked quinoa, but you can gauge it by tasting as you go. Also, when mixing salad, add more olive oil, dash of lemon juice, sea salt, dried oregano, and dried garlic powder. Salad will need only a slight sprinkle of salt since Braggs is very flavorful.

Have a wonderful meal with this nutritious grain and be well! 

~Tarabud