What do you get when you open your refrigerator and take out the left over rainbow quinoa from your previous night’s meal, shredded purple and white cabbage with carrots, your homemade red pepper hummus and a touch of rice wine vinegar? A delicious unexpected lunch! Yesterday, as lunch time rolled around, I headed for the kitchen to prepare myself a meal… with one caveat… I am in the middle of writing my book so I needed this to be a quick, yet satisfying nosh session. After surveying the options, I pulled the ingredients out of the refrigerator and said…hmmmmm…what the heck…why not mix all the leftovers together… That’s what I like to call a no-recipe kind of creation…and the result was amazing! Just to be sure I wasn’t in my little Vanessa world, I tested the new creation on my assistant Ashli and of course, my Partner in the kitchen Rosa….No, I wasn’t crazy…I had accidentally birthed a new tasty recipe! I hope you enjoy this great meal as much as we did…and remember to get creative…you may even want to add diced apples or crushed walnuts to add even more crunch and brain loving omega 3’s.
Quinoa Crunch Salad
2 cups quinoa, rinsed
1 cup water
1 1/2 cups cabbage, shredded (purple & white)
1/2 cup carrots, shredded
2 TBS per bowl of homemade hummus- recipe attached
rice vinegar, to taste
walnuts, optional
diced apples, optional
Place quinoa and water in a 1-½ quart saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook until all the water is absorbed (about 15-20 minutes). Allow quinoa to cool, then put in a large bowl.
Add all remaining ingredients. Mix. Serve. Enjoy!
Remember, this recipe is just a guideline. Feel free to add as much or as little of each ingredient as you desire.
Red Roasted Pepper Hummus
2 15-oz. cans of chickpeas, drained & rinsed
2 red peppers, roasted (or half of a 15-oz. jar)
2 Tbs fresh lemon juice
2 cloves of garlic
½ tsp cumin
3 Tbs lemon juice
sea salt, for taste
Place all ingredients in to your food processor or Vita-mix and blend until smooth.
Please do your part in helping this world and everyone in it become healthier… Pass along my recipes and website to everyone you care about!
Beautiful healthy hugs,
Vanessa
