High Protein Quinoa Almond Berry Salad

Wow. I have been so neglectful! So sorry. We have been adjusting to a new schedule around here with the start of the "summer" and things have been pretty busy.

Like I said on my last post, I actually made this salad twice last week - once for a combined Family Home Evening and once for a Bridal Shower. It was devoured both times. Everyone commented on the unusual ingredients but talked about how they still liked it. LOL.

The greatest thing about this salad is how versatile it is. It calls for cherries but have you seen the price of cherries? OH MAN! This would be an intensely expensive salad! I was lucky the first time around and caught blueberries on sale. So the first salad consisted of strawberries, blueberries, and 1 1/2 large banana slices. The second time around blueberries were no longer on sale so I only did strawberries (2 lbs. worth) and bananas (3 bananas worth). It was delicious both ways. I will admit that I liked it better with the blueberries and I am sure it would be amazing with the cherries as well. Whatever way you do it - do it! This salad rocks!

The picture from the original recipe is too gorgeous to not post. My picture didn't turn out anywhere as beautiful as this one. So extra special thanks to Oh She Glows for the courtesy of the recipe and the picture found at this site HERE.

High Protein Quinoa Almond Berry Salad (Vegan & GF)

From Oh She Glows

Yield: 2-3 as a main, 4-6 as a side. (I think that this isn't quite accurate for a side dish... I think we could easily serve at LEAST 6 with this salad but the nutritional information is based on 6 anyways.)

Nutritional Information per serving (calculated on MyFitnessPal.com): Calories 214, Carbs 38, Fat grams 6, Protein 6 (This would be lower without the almonds but almonds are SOOOO good for you!)

• 3/4 cup dry quinoa
• 1 pint strawberries, sliced (2.5-3 cups)
• 16 oz. fresh blueberries (1.5-2 cups)
• 1 cup cherries, pitted and sliced
• 2 tbsp pure maple syrup (or other liquid sweetener)
• 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp fresh lime juice (or lemon might work!)
• Pinch of kosher salt
• 1/2 cup almonds, chopped

1. Cook quinoa according to package directions.

2. Meanwhile, chop the fruit and place in a large bowl.

3. Mix the dressing ingredients (maple syrup, balsamic, lime juice, salt) in a small jar and adjust to taste if necessary. Note: You may have to double the dressing recipe if your salad is quite large.

4. Fluff cooked quinoa with a fork and add to large bowl with fruit. Combine. Pour on dressing and mix well. Serve immediately or chill in the fridge until serving time. Serves 2-3 as a main or 4-6 as a side. Or if you are reeeeally hungry 2 people!

Cheesy Quinoa Mac and Cheese

I saw this recipe on Pinterest and was really interested in it because we don't eat mac and cheese normally. I have wanted to try quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wah) for a while and this was a great opportunity!

We really loved this meal! Since we have a small family a 9x13 dish feeds us for a few meals - my husband took this to work two days in a row and LOVED it. All by itself it isn't extremely flavorful so I would strongly recommend adding your favorite hot sauce or salsa. Our favorite is the Louisiana brand.

I also didn't saute my veggies - I roasted them. There are few things that we love more than roasted broccoli. If you go this route all you have to do is toss your veggies with a little bit of olive oil and salt and pepper and roast at 425 for 15 - 20 minutes. I did this while I was waiting for the quinoa to cook. I used broccoli and green pepper this time but I think it would be fabulous with red pepper, asparagus or cauliflower as well.

Also, if you are new to cooking quinoa you use 2 cups of water or broth for every 1 cup of quinoa. It is suggested that you rinse and drain the quinoa before using it but before it is cooked it is VERY small and slips through a strainer. Make sure you use a very fine mesh sieve. Bring water and quinoa to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer. Cook, covered for 15 minutes or until all water has been absorbed and you can see a small "thread" on the quinoa. Remember that quinoa expands to about 4x its size when you cook it so 1 cup dry will yield 4 cups cooked.

This one will definitely be a repeat in our house! We all loved it!

This recipe is courtesy of Around the Table: Loving Food in RI & Beyond... and can be found at this site HERE.

CHEESY QUINOA MAC AND CHEESE

From Around the Table

Serving Size: 8

Nutritional Information per serving (calculated on MyFitnessPal.com): Calories 280, Carbs 31, Fat grams 11, Protein 14 (Calculated without veggies added)

• 1 1/2 cups quinoa, rinsed and drained
• Veggies of your choice (optional) (I used broccoli and green pepper)
• good pinch of salt
• a few grinds of seasoning salt
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup soy milk or non-fat milk (I used the non-fat milk)
• 1 1/2 cups grated Cheddar cheese, more for sprinkling (I used a mix of cheddar and mozzarella)
• Optional- Crushed Red Pepper, Panko Bread crumbs for topping
• Toppings (optional)- salsa, hot sauce, sour cream, scallions

1. Lightly saute any veggies you would like in this dish. 
2. Cook quinoa to packaged instructions until fully cooked. (About 15 minutes)
3. Preheat oven to 350 F. Coat 13x9 inch dish( or 8 individual ramekins) with cooking spray.Whisk together eggs, milk and seasonings in large bowl. Fold in quinoa mixture and cheese. Stir very well and let some of the cheese melt.  Transfer to prepared baking dish and if using Panko Crumbs or Bread crumbs add now and bake 30-35 mins, until bread crumbs are browned.