I am so excited to welcome Leigh Anne from Your Homebased Mom. I have had the privilege of working with Leigh Anne on various projects and I absolutely adore her. Not only are her recipes beautiful, but they taste amazing as well. Be sure to stop by and enter to win the Blendtec 725 Blender that she is giving away! As well as check out Cupcakes & Kale Chips for some Healthy Snacks or Love Bakes Good Cakes for some Healthy Meal Ideas for our #EatHealthy16 Series.
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Eating healthy is always at the top of my New Year's Resolution list. Thanks to Jenny for inviting me to be part of this fun series again this year and get me on track with my healthy eating. Last year I shared a delicious Roasted Red Pepper Hummus here on Jenny's blog which is still one of my favorites.
What is Quinoa and why you should eat it?
Today I'm going to share with you one of my favorite ways to eat healthier - quinoa! Quinoa is amazing stuff. It is considered a complete protein and comes from the ancient Incas. It is considered the "mother of all grains" and has reached superfood status! It is high in fiber and it is gluten free (which is important at our house)
The best part though is it is yummy and versatile! I have experimented a lot with quinoa and I have a couple other yummy quinoa recipes on my blog including, these easy cheesy Quinoa Bites.
You can pretty much add quinoa into any of your favorite salads for added texture and protein.
Today's quinoa salad has lots of flavor, texture and color. You cook quinoa just like you cook rice, just add to boiling water or chicken broth and cover. Quinoa also comes in different colors which can add additional color to your salads.
How to make Cranberry & Cilantro Quinoa Salad?
I added in red and yellow bell pepper, red onion, cilantro, carrot, dried cranberries and green onion - lots of amazing color and flavor. For added crunch I added in some sliced almonds. The flavor also comes from curry powder, cumin and some fresh lime juice.
The flavor improves as the salad sits so I like to make it the night before and let all the flavors meld together overnight. It can be served chilled or at room temperature but I prefer it chilled.
Happy, healthy eating in 2023!
Cranberry and Cilantro Quinoa Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup chicken broth
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa rinsed
- ¼ cup red bell pepper chopped
- ¼ cup yellow bell pepper chopped
- ⅓ cup red onion finely chopped
- 1 tsp curry powder
- ½ tsp cumin
- 1 tsp sugar
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 2 limes juiced
- ⅓ cup toasted sliced almonds
- ½ cup shredded carrots chopped fine
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- 2-3 green onions chopped
Instructions
- Pour chicken broth into pan and bring to boil. Add quinoa, cover, reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Fluff with fork and chill.
- Add chilled quinoa into a bowl and add in remaining ingredients.
- Salt and pepper to taste. Chill before serving.
Along with this quick and easy recipe, I’m also sharing a giveaway for a chance to win a Blendtec. You can enter the giveaway HERE so be sure to enter to win!
Recipe adapted form allrecipes.com
Leigh Anne Wilkes
yourhomebasedmom.com
finding the pretty and delicious
Shelley @ Calypso in the Country
This sounds awesome! I am a huge fan of cilantro so I am printing this!
Thanks! Shelley