Quinoa Bean Salad

The days are beginning to gain hours of daylight and with this comes the excitement of warmer temperatures and sunshine. I can already feel the 'change' within me that translates into my my longing for foods that need not warm me as they did during the cold winter months but instead are cooling to the body. As the seasons change so do our tastes and desires for different foods.

I went to my repertoire of cookbooks last week and was looking for something to make that would be both quick and nutritious as a side dish. I came across a recipe for Quinoa Bean Salad and I was in! I love chick peas and also kidney beans and the best thing of all was that I had all of the ingredients already in my refrigerator and pantry! I have already made this recipe twice and it is so tasty! It bears sharing with everyone so that you can enjoy it too. I do try to use organic ingredients (which quinoa is most often organic), but any fresh, local ingredients will be delicious also! And when it's made with love it's just the best ever :)

Let's share in some facts about quinoa. It is an amazing food choice!
can be bought as a grain, flour or in flakes

• grains can come in red, black or a white / golden colour
• grains cook up to 3 or more times it's original volume
• cooks up quickly
• an excellent source of protein 
• is considered a complex carbohydrate allowing for easy and slow digestion 
• is gluten free

Quinoa Bean Salad

1 cup of water
1/2 cup of quinoa
One 19oz can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
One 14 oz can of kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup sliced green bell pepper
1 cup diced celery
3/4 cup chopped red onion
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp ground black pepper

Bring the water and quinoa to a boil in a medium saucepan. Cover, reduce to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Turn the heat off and leave the covered saucepan on the burner for another 4 minutes. Fluff with a fork and allow the quinoa to cool.

Combine the quinoa, chickpeas, kidney beans, green pepper, celery and onion in a large bowl.
In a small bowl mix the vinegar, oil, garlic, oregano and black pepper until well blended.

Add the dressing to the salad, mix well and serve immediately.

* I do like the salad to sit for a while in the refrigerator for the flavours to blend. I find it gives time especially for the dried oregano to become more flavourful.

Credit must always be given to the authors of the cookbook ~ Quinoa 365 : The Everyday Superfood Patricia Green and Carolyn Hemming

I hope you add this recipe to your summer meal plans and enjoy it's fresh taste and all of the amazing nutrition it has to offer!

Healthy blessings sent this morning!

Maggie

in the midst of March

I see that my last post was a few months ago as the calendar turned from one year to the next. Here we are now on the doorstep of Spring. It is a pleasing place to be as the winter was long, snowy and cold. It was much like last winter and many of us were hoping that we especially did not repeat the winter of 2014. But it seems we did for the most part and yet once again we made it through and Spring is now heralding us.

 Just this morning I awoke to the songs of both a cardinal and a robin and the sounds of a blue jay which I'm not sure is exactly what I would call a song?? So it seems we all sing the praises of the months moving on and the arrival of the season next to the last. The sun shines today with just merely wisps of cloud and the temperatures will hopefully rise to above the freezing point. The snow that has accumulated into large drifts are now melting rapidly and the grass that has hibernated over the winter is now beginning to reveal itself. This is nice to see in the simplest of ways. All of these actions are indicators of both an end and a beginning. Like being at the state of betwixt and between. It is neither Winter nor Spring.

 I'm still cocooned in my morning ritual of tea and some reading and now obviously catching up on some work. I am returning to my Reiki practice this year and have just ordered a few books that will inspire me to walk down this path again. I'm excited to receive them for many reasons. One being that I love books and adding these to my library will be lovely. I share in the life of a book each and every day. It's a part of who I am. So to read a section of a book today and to also order new books makes this a wonderful day!

Now to be on to the list of things that encompass my day off. Aaah…..where is that list?? ;)

Blessings to all,
Maggie