Dinner Tonight

As part of the healthy eating challenge, I've been searching for recipes that will help me incorporate tons of vegetables and some grain and protein at every meal.  I found an awesome recipe that we had for dinner on Friday night.

Loaded with veggies, the most difficult part of this meal was the dicing of the veggies.  This can be prepared in advance, and served chilled, or eaten immediately.  We had it for dinner on Friday, and I snuck out a serving to have for lunch yesterday.  It was just as good cold as it was warm.  Awesome, quick and easy meal!

I found this awesome recipe in the book The Power of Ancient Foods, by Dr. Gene Spiller and Rowena Hubbard, RD.

Quinoa Pepper Salad

4 cups water

2 cups quinoa

1 medium summer squash

1 yellow or red pepper, seeds removed

1 Anaheim Chile, seeds removed

1 medium onion

3 cloves garlic, crushed

¼ cup pineapple juice, unsweetened

1 TBSP sunflower oil

½ cup roasted sweet peppers

½ cup sunflower seeds

Bring water to a boil, add quinoa, cover, and reduce heat to low.  Simmer gently for 15  minutes, or until all water is absorbed.  Remove from heat and fluff with a fork.  Cool.  

Finely chop all vegetables.  Fold vegetables into quinoa.

Combine the pineapple juice, roasted peppers, and oil.  Toss lightly with quinoa and veggies.

Sprinkle with sunflower seeds just before serving.