Boost up your weekday lunch with Quinoa ‘Power’ Salad
Salad for lunch has become a part of trend these days. Salad to substitute for a main meal may sound strange to many of you. Some people just start making faces if they are offered a salad for lunch. They are just used to their traditional meal type and don’t really give it up for anything. While it’s a complete ‘No-No’ for some, it’s very refreshing and hearty for others to have just salad for their main meal.
Well, it depends on what you choose in your salad platter. If it’s just a boring mix of some cucumbers, bell peppers and greens, anyone would be done with it. So, the term “Salad” is not restricted to those monotonous options. One can make a variety of interesting platters depending on the taste and needs.
Your salad bowl can be a complete meal in itself if you include a serving of whole grains with loaded protein and iron sources.
I made this Super power Salad to boost up my weekday lunch.This healthy, filling recipe loads up on protein-packed stars like Quinoa and black chickpeas sprouts.
A good gluten-free source of protein, iron, and fiber, quinoa is a quick and flavorful way to get in a serving of whole grains. Black chickpeas sprouts add extra proteins to the salad.
Quinoa is one of the world’s most popular health foods and earned a Superfood tag. Due to its Gluten-free and high protein nature, this grain skyrockets into popularity today. Quinoa is the perfect gluten-free substitute for pasta, rice or couscous due to its mild flavor, light crunch and impressive protein content. It has benefits for both weight loss and metabolic health.
Avocado is another superfood which is incredibly nutritious. Eating Avocados can Lower Cholesterol and Triglyceride Levels. Avocados are high in antioxidants, including Lutein and Zeaxanthin. These nutrients are very important for eye health and lower the risk of mascular degeneration and cataracts.
The quinoa, black chickpeas sprout and avocado together make this salad so satisfying that you can even pack it for office lunch time. I bet it’s going to keep you fresh and full.
So, these superfoods(quinoa & avocado) when combined with even more nutritious vegetables like cherry tomatoes and leafy greens make the salad a Super-power Salad.
It’s very common in the kids today to complain about the blurred vision, headaches. The reason behind this condition is the over-exposure of these young kids to the growing Hitech-gadgets like Tablets, smart-phones etc. My daughter spends like an hour on an average daily on her tab doing her school assignments. Though we can’t stop our kids from getting the exposure to these latest methods of teaching. However, we can at least make our kids eat these superfoods in different forms to protect their eyes and overall health.
An interesting colorful salad is a good option to encourage kids follow a healthy regimen. So, don’t delay and make your picky eaters pick the right food for them!
Ingredients:
Serving Size: 2
3 cups Mix leafy greens (Baby Spinach, Lettuce, Red Romaine, Green Chard etc.)
½ cup cherry tomatoes slit in halves
½ cup quinoa
1 Avocado Sliced
½ cup Black chickpeas sprouts
1 Red onion thinly sliced
1 English Cucumber diced
Balsamic Vinigrette (or any Kraft salad dressing as per taste)
Salt and pepper as per taste
Methods:- Wash quinoa. Bring 1 Cup of water(or stock if you have it ready) to a boil. Add Quinoa and let it cook for 15 minutes or until all the water is absorbed.
- In the meanwhile, Mix diced cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, black chickpeas sprouts and onion in a bowl. Add Balsamic Vinigrette or any of your favorite salad dressing. Mix everything nicely so that everything absorbs the dressings well.
- Once quinoa is done, let it cool.
- Once cooled, Take the serving platter. Arrange the mix of greens on that. Place quinoa spreading it evenly in the middle of the greens like a nice layer.
- Spread the salad mixture from step 2 on quinoa.
- Add the avocado slices on the top to give it a catchy green color.
- Sprinkle salt and pepper if desired. I don’t add it as my dressing is enough to take care of the flavors.
Pack it for your office lunch time and rejuvenate yourself with loaded energy and freshness.
Pleazzzz don’t forget to share it on your social media with friends and family in case you enjoyed reading my blog. After all, “Sharing is Caring”.
Eat healthy, exercise well and stay tuned for more recipes. Don’t forget to follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest and please click the follow button to keep receiving the updates on my new blogs and it’s free.
Recent Comments