Last week, PCC cooking instructor Birgitte Antonsen demonstrated two delicious, healthful salads she has created for PCC Cooks, PCC Natural Market's cooking school. 
 
She enjoyed shopping at our Market for her ingredients and watching the faces of the delighted samplers who crowded around her booth for a taste of her salads. Kittitas Tomatoes, CNL Garden, Vue Farm, Misty Mountain Honey and Youngquist Berries all contributed to her shopping basket. Thank you, vendors.

 

Strawberry Delight Salad with Strawberry Champagne Vinaigrette and Caramelized Pecans   
Vinaigrette:
½ lb. organic strawberries
1 tbsp. honey
1 tsp. vanilla
2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
6 tbsp. champagne or 2 to 3 tbsp. champagne vinegar
2 tbsp. fresh basil
¼ tsp. salt
4 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
 
Caramelized Pecans:
¼ c. sugar
1 tbsp. butter or vegan butter
2 tsp. salt
½ tsp. powdered cloves
1 ½ tsp. powdered allspice
1/8 to ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
2 tbsp. water
1 ½ cups shelled halved pecans
 
Salad:
½ lb. fresh organic strawberries, sliced
4 to 5 c. mixed organic baby greens (12 to 16 oz.)
1 c. Belgian endive, arugula or dandelion greens (optional)
Pea sprouts, watercress or sunflower sprouts for garnish
 
For the vinaigrette, combine in a skillet strawberries, maple syrup, vanilla, red wine vinegar, champagne vinegar or champagne. Let simmer, covered, until strawberries are soft, about 10 to 15 minutes. Strain the juice and set aside.
 
In a blender, combine cooked strawberries, salt and fresh basil. Add olive oil slowly while blending. Pour into a bowl and mix in the juice. Do not blend. Refrigerate until cold.
 
For the caramelized pecans, preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Combine all ingredients in a skillet, except the nuts. Simmer until sugar has dissolved. Add the nuts, stirring to toast evenly. Transfer to the oven and bake for 4 minutes. Cool before using.
 
Arrange the strawberries and greens in a bowl or on individual plates. Sprinkle the caramelized pecans on the salad. Add the vinaigrette and garnishes.

 

Farmers Market Summer Quinoa Salad

 
This is a great spring or summer salad for picnics and barbecues. Cooked quinoa is a perfect protein and is a great addition to a vegetarian diet or as an added protein to any salad. Take advantage of local and seasonal produce by using any vegetables listed in the recipe:
 
Serves: 4 to 6

Preparation: 30 minutes
 
1 c. quinoa
11/2 c. filtered water or vegetable broth
4 to 5 c. seasonal vegetables, such as:
 
Dressing:
¼ to ½ c. lemon juice
¼ to ½ c. extra-virgin olive oil
3 to 4 garlic cloves, minced
Salt and Pepper
 
Place the quinoa in a fine sieve and rinse under running water. In a small sauce pan, combine water or broth and rinsed quinoa. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat. Let simmer for 7 to 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and let sit for 15 to 20 minutes to absorb remaining water. Remove and cool completely. Prepare all the vegetables and place in the salad bowl with the cooled quinoa. Make the dressing, toss with the salad and serve.
 
PCC on quinoa:
Quinoa is native to the Andes and has been cultivated continuously for more than 5,000 years. Today, most quinoa is imported from South America, although it is being cultivated on the high slopes of the Colorado Rockies.
 
Quinoa has excellent reserves of protein, and has more iron than other grains and high levels of potassium and riboflavin, as well as other B vitamins. It's also a good source of magnesium, zinc, copper and manganese, and has some folate (folic acid). Quinoa contains no gluten and is much less filling than most other grains and pasta, with a delicious, nutty flavor.
 
Thank you, Birgitte, for coming to our Market! We'll think of you as we follow your recipes. We can always find good recipes on the PCC website, http://www.pccnaturalmarkets.com/pcccooks/.
 
An additional note about quinoa - because quinoa is so good and good for us:
Available in white and red varieties
Birgitte cooked with both red and white quinoa. The red is new in our stores. The combination of colors in this salad, red, white green and yellow, made this a rainbow salad, where you knew with every bite you'd be experiencing several tastes and textures.
 
Pronounced "keen-wah"
Pronounced "keen-wah," quinoa was a staple for the Inca Indians in Peru, who called it "the mother of all grains." Quinoa is yet another example of foods indigenous to the New World. The Spanish transported the tomatoes, potatoes, squash, corn and chocolate they discovered back to the Old World, but they did not transfer quinoa. It's taken these hundreds of years for us to rediscover this grain.
 
Must be washed
You probably want to wash it a bit more thoroughly than you wash beans or rice. Run it through a sieve a few times, or even give it a couple good soaks before rinsing a couple times.
 
Quinoa is one of those plants blessed by nature in having predatory protection built in. The quinoa plant's seeds, which become the grain, have a light covering of a natural substance called saponin, which keeps the birds away. Saponin, however, just doesn't taste good to us either. Washing the quinoa washes the saponin away.
 
Much of the quinoa in our stores has been pre-washed, so the saponin is already gone. But you just don't know. I'm going on about this only because bitter experience has taught me to take those extra few minutes and slosh the quinoa around in water thoroughly. Think of it as a vegetable that needs peeling.
 
All the essential amino acids
Quinoa is one of the healthiest grains for us, if not the healthiest. Packed with protein, it is unusual in having all the essential amino acids. Light in texture, nutty in flavor, it lends itself well to salads as well as hot side dishes. It's quite a discovery. 


L. Leo, Editor