Kosher quinoa

Quinoa is kosher for passover! Thank goodness, because I was running out of ideas. Plus, this gave me a way to use the dijon mustard dressing I had stored from a few nights ago.

I decided on Martha's Quinoa Salad with Toasted Almonds. Of course, I didn't have almonds so I made due with Walnuts. I added in some bell pepper and zucchini and I was good to go.

And it was miraculously yummy!

Recipe (courtesy of Marths Stewart): 

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup slivered almonds
• 1/2 cup (3 ounces) quinoa
• 4 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 yellow bell pepper ribs and seeds discarded, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 2 scallions thinly sliced
• 1/8 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme plus more for garnish (optional)
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1 medium zucchini halved lengthwise and sliced 1/2-inch thick
• 1 large celery stalk diced
• 1 lime halved

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Toast almonds until crisp, lightly browned, and fragrant, about 7 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside. Meanwhile, place quinoa in a fine sieve and rinse under cold running water until the water runs clear; drain well.
   
2. In a medium saucepan, heat 2 teaspoons olive oil over medium heat. Add yellow pepper, garlic, scallions, and red-pepper flakes; cook until the pepper is crisp-tender, about 5 minutes.
   
3. Stir in quinoa, thyme, 1 cup water, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook 7 minutes. Stir in zucchini, cover, and cook until quinoa is tender but not mushy, 5 to 8 minutes longer. Remove the saucepan from heat.
   
4. Stir in celery, almonds, and remaining 2 teaspoons oil, season with salt, and fluff with a fork. Cool to room temperature before packing into two containers and refrigerating. When ready to eat, squeeze lime over salad, if desired. Serve with additional lime wedge and thyme, if desired.
   

http://www.marthastewart.com/256026/quinoa-salad-with-toasted-almonds

A crunchy snack

The hardest part of my new low-carb diet is definitely going to be having small, appropriate meals often throughout the day. I absolutely love the idea of grazing often, but I need to find crunchy, satisfying and portable foods that I can eat throughout the day of work.

Martha has an awesome section on her website where she features snacks that are under 200 calories. I decided on something crunchy, and the first recipe looked like it would completely do the trick!

I mixed together walnuts and almonds - both healthy nuts that are on my approved list of foods. I combined these nuts with flaxseeds, quinoa, and sunflower seeds, which is a perfect combination of complex carbs. I whisked these ingredients together with some egg whites and added in cayenne, cumin and cinnamon. To top it off, I used a mix of splenda and water as a low-sugar alternative to the honey Martha used in her recipe.

Once baked in the oven, the nut mix was a filling, healthy, crunchy snack that I am sure will help me beat the hunger I sometimes experience in the middle of the day. I plan on packing it little ziplocs and bringing it to work with me every day as a nice substitute to a carb-loaded snack.

RECIPE

Mix 3 cups whole nuts with 1/4 cup each flaxseeds, quinoa, and sunflower seeds (bottom left in photo). In a separate bowl, whisk 2 egg whites with 2 tablespoons honey, 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt, and 1/4 teaspoon each cayenne, cumin, and cinnamon. Toss with nut mix.

Spread in a single layer on a baking sheet; bake at 325 degrees until dry, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes. Scrape from pan while cooling, to avoid sticking. Makes 16 servings (178 calories each).