Extreme hunger means it's quinoa time!

Dear Sis,

Today, I worked a brunch. This means I ate “breakfast” at 10:30, which in turn means I suddenly realized I was starving at 4. What’s a girl to do who does not believe in keeping heat-and-eat foods?

For me, quinoa and eggs are almost always the answer. They both cook very quickly, and I feel like I am doing my body a favor eating them. They also have the benefit of always being in my pantry. As you know, I love high protein foods, so this seems a perfect combination to me.

As with most of my recipes, I don’t actually ever measure. So be warned that the amounts given are to my taste buds and not yours. Adjust for yourself!

(Eaten with some Pomegranate Oolong tea, lightly sweetened with clover honey)

Quinoa and Brussel Sprout Salad

¼ c quinoa (whatever color suits your fancy)

6 T water

1 c shredded brussel sprouts

3 oz cooked garbanzo beans

2 green onions, chopped

1 clove garlic, sliced

2 t olive oil

2 T craisins

1 T sunflower seeds

2 pepperoncini, minced

1-2 T violet balsamic

1 t EV olive oil

Bring water to boil. Add quinoa. Simmer until water is absorbed. Remove to whatever bowl out of which you are planning to eat.

Heat oil in the same pot in which you cooked the quinoa. Add sprouts, green onions, and beans; then season with some Maldon salt and fresh cracked pepper. Sauté until the sprouts start to brown a bit. Add the garlic and cook 1 min.

Add everything to the pot and stir to combine. Pour back into your eating bowl and top with some goat cheese. A poached runny egg is lovely on top.

Notes

*This dish combines several flavors and textures. This makes each bite interesting and a journey. One forkful you get the sourness of the cheese plus the sweetness of a craisin plus the texture of the quinoa. The next bite consists of salty sunflower seeds and some chewy spout. Then there’s a pop of heat from the pepperoncini. Food should never be boring.

*I used an incredible violet balsamic vinegar that is so scrumptious it’s drinkable. Any time you are not cooking the vinegar, you need to pull out the best balsamic you can afford. A plain, high quality balsamic would be delightful, but you may need to sweeten it with some honey or agave. I would recommend any fruit flavored balsamic as being a good foil for this dish.

*To save some money, I buy a lower quality extra virgin olive oil with which to cook and then a top shelf extra virgin olive oil for non-heat applications.

*You can eat this cold, hot, or lukewarm. I am usually eating it lukewarm, since I don’t have the organization to make this before work, and I’m too impatient once I get off work to wait for supper.

I know you make variations of quinoa salad all the time, but this is one that surpassed my usual salad. Delish!