The following meal of Mediterranean style quinoa salad, poached chicken, and a minty melon bowl is one of Cathy Vogt’s, who runs anaturalchef.com, favorites. Quinoa is a quick-cooking gluten-free grain and perfect for an easy family meal. It stores well and is a great whole grain alternative to those pasta salad combinations that are so popular when the weather is hot. Vogt likes using red quinoa, which has a nuttier flavor and looks pretty mixed with colorful market vegetables. Pick up a loaf of country style crusty whole grain bread or a baguette at the market to serve with the salad.
For those who like some animal protein with their meal, serve the quinoa salad with shredded poached chicken. The poaching liquid can be used for preparing a simple sauce, added to yellow squash, onions and other summer veggies for a quick light soup, or frozen for later use. Use the poaching liquid instead of water when cooking rice or other grains for added flavor and extra nutrients.
Finish off the meal with a fruit salad of chilled seasonal melons tossed with fresh lime juice and chopped mint leaves, and drizzled with a teaspoon of local honey. Top with toasted almonds and serve parfait style in tall glasses.
Recipe:
1 cup Quinoa, raw
1 pint cherry tomatoes cut into ¼’s
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 each garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp. Oregano, fresh, chopped
2 Tbsp. Parsley, chopped
½ cup calamata olives, chopped
1 15 oz. can Artichoke hearts, drained, chopped
1 bunch Spinach or arugula, fresh, cleaned and chopped or torn into bite sized pieces.
¼ cup-fresh lemon juice
¼ cup-extra virgin olive oil
½ - ¾ tsp. Sea salt
Rinse quinoa well in cool water and drain in fine mesh strainer. Place in small pot with 2 cups of water and a dash of sea salt. Bring to a boil, stir to combine, turn down heat and cover with a tight-fitting lid. Simmer for about 15-18 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit an additional 10 minutes. Remove pot from heat and place in a bowl. Toss gently.
In a large bowl, toss warm quinoa with lemon juice, oil and salt. Let sit until it reached room temperature. In a sauté pan heat olive oil, add green garlic and sauté on medium heat to soften. Add tomato, oregano and olives, and toss again.
Add lightly sautéed vegetables to quinoa toss and add parsley, artichoke hearts and spinach. Combine all ingredients thoroughly, season with salt and fresh ground pepper and serve.
Poached chicken
4 - 6 oz boneless chicken breasts
3 qts. water
2 each celery stalks, cut into chunks
2 each carrots, cut into chunks
1 each onion or fresh leek, cut into chunks
2 each garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
6 each parsley stems, fresh
2 sprigs thyme, fresh
2 each bay leaves
In a medium pot, combine water, celery, carrots, onions, and garlic. Place parsley stems, thyme, bay leaves and peppercorns in a paper coffee filter or piece of cheese cloth and tie with a string. Place sachet bag into the pot along with vegetables. Add salt to the pot.
Bring contents to a boil, turn down to a simmer and cook for about 15 minutes.
Place chicken breasts in poaching liquid, making sure the breasts are covered fully with liquid, simmer for about 15-18 minutes, until the inside temperature reads 160 degrees, or the chicken is firm to the touch.
Remove chicken from poaching liquid, cool and shred into thin strips. Set aside until ready to use. Strain poaching liquid. The liquid can be put in small containers and frozen for other uses.