Are salads not your go-to kind of foods? Well, read through the article and it will change your mind !

For those who feel whipping up a salad is not an enticing job, try making your next one with Quinoa. Described as a super food, Quinoa (pronounced as keen wah) is packed with dietary fibre, protein, B Vitamins and dietary minerals, more than you find in the other grains. A half cup cooked quinoa thus gives 4 gms of protein, 20 gms carbohydrates, 3 gms of fibre, 01 gm sugar with a calorie count of 111 gms. 

Quinoa can be used in soups, salads or even alternate it with sooji (semolina) to make Quinoa Upma to suit the Indian taste buds. Here’s my favourite salad that I make at least once every week, preferably for dinner, that makes it light yet packed with the required nutrients. Follow the directions on the pack and cook and cool it before using it for salad.

Quinoa (cooked) – 02 cups

Bell peppers, diced– 01 cup

Zucchini, diced – ½ cup

Mushrooms – 01 cup

Broccoli – 01 cup

Chopped basil – ½ cup

Oregano – 01 tsp.

Olive oil – 01 tbsp. 

Salt to taste

Preparation: Saute all the diced veggies in olive oil on high flame for 03 minutes. Take off the flame and add the seasoning and the chopped basil. Mix well. In a large salad bowl, mix the cooked quinoa and the sautéed veggies. Sprinkle some roasted pumpkin or sunflower seeds for that nutty flavour. Toss and serve!

(Fun fact: Higher in protein than any other grain, quinoa is so nutritious that NASA has used it to feed astronauts on long-term space missions)

Source: WebMD

(Caution: Always test new foods for any allergic reaction before you include them in your diet)