My never-ending quest for healthy, easy lunches scored a winner -- lunches that use quinoa as the base ingredient and add vegetables and herbs. And, bonus, each one is about 250 calories. All good! Given that life as I know it now is about to change dramatically (more on that later), I am stockpiling all the easy and best lunch recipes I can find.
One of the best magazines, and now websites/apps/twitter feeds is called Cooking Light. The website is chic-a-block full of easy, fast, light, vegetarian-friendly suggestions for eating smart and living healthy. With the hot, summer weather upon most of us, ideas are timely and delicious.
One of the best magazines, and now websites/apps/twitter feeds is called Cooking Light. The website is chic-a-block full of easy, fast, light, vegetarian-friendly suggestions for eating smart and living healthy. With the hot, summer weather upon most of us, ideas are timely and delicious.
Quinoa Lunch Ideas
I've featured quinoa before, a fast-cooking, tasty grain, ready in about 20 minutes, with 150 calories in 2/3 cup... plenty for lunch-time salads. Quinoa comes in a variety of colours and I like to mix 'em up... white, red, black or whatever's on hand. It's a nutritional powerhouse food that is becoming more and more popular.
And, fyi, brown rice has 144 calories for the same 2/3 cup amount; farro, 133; barley, 129; and bulgur 101. So all good variations, although quinoa remains the top nutritional grain of choice.
250-calorie Lunch Salads
The basic idea is to prepare a bunch of quinoa on a Sunday night. It keeps well in the fridge for a couple days. I tend to make more Wednesday evening. Each day, add a variety of foods to the quinoa to complete a lunch.
Cooking Light examples of seven days of lunches:
1) Heirlooms & Avocados
2/3 cup quinoa
1/2 cup heirloom cherry tomatoes (red and yellow)
1/4 cup sliced avocado
3 T fresh cilantro
3/4 tsp olive oi
2) Nuts and Chickpeas
2/3 cup quinoa
3 T cooked chickpeas
1/4 cup grated fresh carrot
2 tsp toasted pine nuts
2 T chopped fresh parsley
3) Summer Mint
2/3 cup quinoa
1/3 cup corn (ideally fresh)
1/2 ounce ricotta cheese
2 T fresh mint
1/4 cup grated yellow zucchini (also called squash)
4) Radish and Vegeys
2/3 cup quinoa
1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh radishes (any type)
2 T thinly sliced snow peas
1 ounce crumbled goat cheese
1 T fresh lime juice
5) Strawberry Fields
2/3 cup quinoa
1/3 cup fresh strawberries
1 T toasted hazelnuts, chopped
1/4 cup baby arugula
1/2 ounce crumbled goat cheese
6) Roots and Greens
2/3 cup quinoa
1/4 cup roasted sweet potato cubes
1/2 cup baby spinach
1 T chopped toasted pecans
1 T thinly sliced green onions
I've featured quinoa before, a fast-cooking, tasty grain, ready in about 20 minutes, with 150 calories in 2/3 cup... plenty for lunch-time salads. Quinoa comes in a variety of colours and I like to mix 'em up... white, red, black or whatever's on hand. It's a nutritional powerhouse food that is becoming more and more popular.
And, fyi, brown rice has 144 calories for the same 2/3 cup amount; farro, 133; barley, 129; and bulgur 101. So all good variations, although quinoa remains the top nutritional grain of choice.
250-calorie Lunch Salads
The basic idea is to prepare a bunch of quinoa on a Sunday night. It keeps well in the fridge for a couple days. I tend to make more Wednesday evening. Each day, add a variety of foods to the quinoa to complete a lunch.
Cooking Light examples of seven days of lunches:
Heirloom tomatoes, avocado, cilantro |
2/3 cup quinoa
1/2 cup heirloom cherry tomatoes (red and yellow)
1/4 cup sliced avocado
3 T fresh cilantro
3/4 tsp olive oi
2) Nuts and Chickpeas
2/3 cup quinoa
3 T cooked chickpeas
1/4 cup grated fresh carrot
2 tsp toasted pine nuts
2 T chopped fresh parsley
Mint, corn, ricotta, zucchin |
2/3 cup quinoa
1/3 cup corn (ideally fresh)
1/2 ounce ricotta cheese
2 T fresh mint
1/4 cup grated yellow zucchini (also called squash)
Snow peas, radish, lime, goat chees |
2/3 cup quinoa
1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh radishes (any type)
2 T thinly sliced snow peas
1 ounce crumbled goat cheese
1 T fresh lime juice
Strawberries, goat cheese, hazelnuts, arugul |
2/3 cup quinoa
1/3 cup fresh strawberries
1 T toasted hazelnuts, chopped
1/4 cup baby arugula
1/2 ounce crumbled goat cheese
Spinach, sweet potato, green onions, pecans |
6) Roots and Greens
2/3 cup quinoa
1/4 cup roasted sweet potato cubes
1/2 cup baby spinach
1 T chopped toasted pecans
1 T thinly sliced green onions
Lemon, dill, currants, sesame seeds, zucchini |
7) Dill Freshness
2/3 cup quinoa
1 T fresh lemon juice
2 T dried currants
1 T chopped fresh dill
1/4 cup yellow/green zucchini ribbons (also called squash)
1 T toasted sesame seeds
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