Curry Quinoa with Cabbage, Carrots and Green Beans

The recipe for this curry quinoa salad came about from a conversation struck with a stranger on the bus. Intrigued by the two bunches of kale popping out of my grocery bag, a woman asked me how I prepared kale. We ran through the gamut of how to prepare this nutrient dense vegetable before she turned the conversation to quinoa. "Did you know that quinoa is the perfect food?"



"Um... I know that it contains all of the essential amino acids making it a complete protein." While there are certain foods that are more nutritious than others, I resist believing that any singular food is perfect. That philosophy would spoil my enjoyment of the rich range of foods that together constitute a complete meal to me. It's variety that keeps me motivated and curious to make good choices and discover ways to create healthy delicious meals.

For this quinoa salad, wintry cabbage - a powerhouse of phytonutrients, and other vegetables are sauteed with curry powder, a potent source of antioxidants, to create a lively, colorful and exotic side dish. This, I am certain, is much better from several dimensions than eating quinoa by itself.


Curry Quinoa with Cabbage, Carrots and Green Beans
Ingredients

• 3/4 cup dried quinoa
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter 
• 1/2 medium onion, diced
• 1 1/2 teaspoon curry powder (I used Maharajah blend)
• 1/2 head of savoy cabbage, shredded
• 1/2 cup green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 3 carrots, sliced into thin coins
• salt and pepper, to taste

Method

1. Rinse the quinoa in cold water to get rid of the bitter saponin. I like to place the quinoa in the same sauce pan that I plan to cook it in, submerge the quinoa in cold water, stir, allow the quinoa to settle and pour out as much of the liquid without spilling out the quinoa grains. Repeat twice or until the water runs clear. Once you have your quinoa rinsed add 1 1/3 cups of water and salt, stir, cover the pot, bring to a boil before turning the heat to low for 30 minutes. Once the quinoa is cooked, fluff with a fork and set aside. This step can be done a day ahead of time.
2. In a large saute pan, heat the olive oil and butter on medium-high. Once the fat is hot, add the onion and saute until translucent, roughly 3-5 minutes. Add the curry powder and saute for a minute. Add the green beans and saute for a minute or two. Gradually incorporate the savoy cabbage, saute until the leaves are softened. Add the carrots and continue sauteing until the vegetables are tender. Add salt and pepper, to taste.  Turn off the heat. Mix in the cooked quinoa. 

Serves 8.