I had to accompany Ben to the Chinese Visa Office to apply his visa for his next business trip to Beijing. So, I only managed to get to the South Arm Seniors Kitchen just after 11:00AM.

I was so surprised that the group had finished cooking and had started to eat already. I managed to take some photos of the food before I sat down to savour the food.

Quinoa is said to have more calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, zinc and Vitamin E than any other grain. Technically, quinoa is not a grain but a seed. It is very similar to animal-based protein, as it contains all 8 essential amino acids.

Ingredients

• 2 cups quinoa
• 4 cups water
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• pinch of pepper
• 2 tablespoons red wine or balsamic vinegar
• 1 large red pepper, finely chopped
• 2 carrots, shredded
• 1 stalk celery, finely diced
• 4 green onions, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup fresh, chopped cilantro
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 1/4 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 clove garlic, finely minced

Source: via Colleen

Instructions

1. In a fine sieve, carefully rinse quinoa with cold water and drain well. Place quinoa, water, salt and pepper in a medium saucepan. Over high heat, bring to a boil. Turn heat down to low and let simmer, covered, for 17 minutes. Remove from heat, uncover pot and let cool completely.
2. In a large bowl, place red pepper, carrots, celery, green onions, and cilantro. Once quinoa has cooled, toss together with vegetable mixture.
3. In a small bowl, whisk the vinegar, lime juice, cumin, garlic and olive oil. Pour over salad mixture and toss until vinaigrette is evenly distributed. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Colleen also shared the following nutritional value comparison between millet, quinoa and brown rice by Dr. Decuypere’ Nutrient Charts.

The comparison is based on 100grams cooked grain.