Quinoa crazy!

I've had this bag of Quinoa that I got from the bulk section at Winco sitting in my pantry for the last 3 months. I was inspired to get it after seeing this beautiful Quinoa salad at Whole Foods, and since I can't afford their food I decided "Psh, I don't need their overpriced salad, I can make mine better AND cheaper!" Well, do you ever have those meals ideas that sound great at the time, but you never get around to making them because it's "too much work"? That was my Quinoa. Was. 2 months ago, I decided I would only go grocery shopping for things that we needed and were out of (milk,flour, eggs, meat etc.). We get most of our produce from Farm Fresh to You, delivered (check it out, it's the same as you would pay at a grocery store for produce, maybe less, and it's all organic and delivered to your door!) and all our fruit we get from the local farmer's market. So that leaves me to make everything we eat from scratch, including bread. Nope, no cereal either(that was so hard to give up, but it's saved us so much moola!). It is also my goal to make all the food we already have stretch as far as we can get it before buying more. I mean, hey I spent my husband's hard earned money on all the food in my house so I might as well use it right? Yes, even you oh lonely can of beets that has been hanging out in the back of the pantry for well over a year. Well, let me tell ya it's definitely been a challenge! We also gave up the convenience (and radiation) of a microwave when we moved into our new place, and I'm too cheap to buy one, so learning to live without that convenience after a lifetime of it has taken some getting used to. Ok, now back to the Quinoa. So I finally decide to make it today, and it turned out soo DELICIOUS!!! I just had to share! But before we get to that..

*Your Quinoa Nutritional Fun Facts for the Day*

Did you know that Quinoa is actually not a grain at all, but a seed?

Did you also know that it is also a good source of Magnesium, Manganese, Copper and Fiber, as well as has all of the essential amino acids your muscles need to grow?

Research has also shown that it can help prevent and treat Breast Cancer, Diabetes, and Insulin Resistance!

Now aren't you excited to go make some Quinoa?!?!

Ok, now that's out of the way, on to the recipes!! I just made it up as I went along, but lucky for you I wrote it down, so you can make these Quinoa salads too! Be creative and make your own Quinoa creations and share! Here are my 2 Quinoa creations so far:

*NOTE: I had no idea how much 1 cup of dried Quinoa would make, so I made 2 cups of dried, which made about 5-6 cups cooked. I made these 2 salads with the amount I made, so modify to the amount you are cooking. To cook, add 1 part Quinoa, 1 1/4 part Water(or other liquid- be creative!) bring to a simmer, then turn to low, cover and simmer for 33 min. Remove from heat, and let stand 5 min, then fluff.

Quinoa Crunch Salad with Cranberries and Spinach

2 cups cooked Quinoa

1 cup chopped Spinach

1/3 cup Dried cranberries

1/4 cup chopped almonds

1/3 cup chopped water chestnuts

Dressing:

1 1/2 Tablespoons garlic red wine vinegar (or regular red wine vinegar with garlic powder)

1/2 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon olive oil

1/2 Tablespoon raw honey

Toss all ingredients together, and enjoy!

Calories: 239 for 1/2 cup side serving. These calories are worth it!

Crunchy Quinoa Beet and Spinach Salad

3 1/2 cups cooked Quinoa

2 cups chopped spinach

1/2 cup chopped almonds

2/3 cup chopped water chestnuts

1 cup chopped beets (about 3 roasted beets or 1 can)

Dressing:

3 Tablespoons garlic red wine vinegar (or regular red wine vinegar with garlic powder)

1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 Tablespoon olive oil

Toss all ingredients together and enjoy! I also crumbles goat cheese on top of mine, and it went together PERFECTLY

Calories: 180 for 1/2 cup side serving.

I'll keep inventing Quinoa recipes to share, and I hope this inspired you to try this nutritious and CHEAP grain(well, seed) too! Happy Cooking!

*no this was not a paid advertisement for Quinoa, I just liked it THAT much