Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

 

 

 

 

 

 

With Summer right around the corner and Spring FINALLY arriving, I’ve been craving this particular dish quite a bit lately and finally decided to get into the kitchen and make it. Good thing I did, too, because I made enough to share with friends and got some of them hooked on it too (and quinoa in general)! This is great served as a side dish with any meal or as a light lunch or dinner.

 

Ingredients

2 cups water
1 cup uncooked quinoa
⅓ cup red wine vinegar (or apple cider vinegar)
¼ cup olive oil (or grape seed oil)
1 medium red onion, diced
1 red pepper, diced
2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
½ cup chopped Kalamata olives
½ cup crumbled reduced-fat feta cheese
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 tsp sea salt
½ tsp freshly ground pepper
Juice of one fresh lemon

 

Directions

1. In a medium sized saucepan bring water and quinoa to a boil over medium heat. Once it begins to boil, reduce to a simmer and cook, covered, for 15-20 minutes or until water is fully absorbed and the quinoa becomes fluffy. Lightly stir the quinoa and cool for 5 minutes.
2. Add the oil (I used a basil pesto flavored grape seed oil that I had, feel free to get a little creative and/or change things up a little) and vinegar and let the quinoa come to room temperature.
3. Add the onion, tomatoes, pepper, olives, cilantro (I didn’t have any fresh cilantro on hand but I did have dried cilantro so I used about 1/2 – 1 Tbsp. of that), and salt and pepper. Stir thoroughly. Add feta cheese and combine. Chill for 2 hours to let flavors combine. Squeeze lemon juice over salad right before serving to enhance the flavors.

Nutritional Information

(per serving, serves 8)

Calories		235.0
Total Fat		13.9 g
	Saturated Fat	1.9 g
	Polyunsaturated Fat	0.6 g
	Monounsaturated Fat	5.0 g
Cholesterol		5.0 mg
Sodium		435.4 mg
Potassium		157.0 mg
Total Carbohydrate		22.7 g
	Dietary Fiber	2.6 g
	Sugars	2.1 g
Protein		6.2 g

 

Introducing…Tilapia Tuesdays!

As I mentioned in an earlier recipe post, I love Tilapia. So much that we decided to start posting Tilapia recipes on a weekly basis, which we will call Tilapia Tuesday! Keep in mind, however, that you can use other types of fish instead of Tilapia, such as Cod, Haddock or Salmon. And, in case you forgot how good fish can be for you, here are just a few reminders:

1. Fish is a nutrient-dense food.It’s a good source of protein – most varieties contain around 20 grams of protein per 3-ounce serving, the same as meat.

2. Fish is a good source of vitamin B-12.

3. Most fish are rich sources of iron.

Here’s to Tilapia Tuesdays!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chili Rubbed Tilapia with Asparagus and Lemon

from Eating Well

Ingredients

2 pounds asparagus, tough ends trimmed, cut into 1-inch pieces

2 tablespoons chili powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic, powder

1/2 teaspoonsalt, divided

1 pound tilapia, Pacific sole or other firm white fish fillets

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons lemon juice

Directions

Bring 1 inch of water to a boil in a large saucepan. Put asparagus in a steamer basket, place in the pan, cover and steam until tender-crisp, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a large plate, spreading out to cool.

Combine chili powder, garlic powder and 1/4 teaspoon salt on a plate. Dredge fillets in the spice mixture to coat. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the fish and cook until just opaque in the center, gently turning halfway, 5 to 7 minutes total. Divide among 4 plates. Immediately add lemon juice, the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and asparagus to the pan and cook, stirring constantly, until the asparagus is coated and heated through, about 2 minutes. Serve the asparagus with the fish.

Nutrition

Per serving: 211 calories; 10 g fat ( 2 g sat , 6 g mono ); 57 mg cholesterol; 8 g carbohydrates; 0 g added sugars; 26 g protein; 4 g fiber; 419 mg sodium; 681 mg potassium