I have a few announcements before we get started.
1. This is my 500th post. Woo hoo!
2. I think my email subscription box is finally up and working. Thanks to an email from a new friend named Lisa that prompted me to try and add it again.
3. The “follower” button is now on my front screen as of last week and I’m kicking myself for waiting so long to put it there. I love seeing everyone’s faces….bloggers love comments and friendly faces!
And, it looks like my brainstorm was squished a bit. The bad economy and all. Even discussing brainstorms is understandably scary. I talked with my friend Justine about it and she said she read a quote where working in corporate America is like “velvet handcuffs“. The benefits are so good you can never leave.
With the way our healthcare system works it is SO true.
That’s ok. I have determination. And a positive attitude!
Dilled Cucumber Salad with Feta, Sprouted Quinoa and Hummus
I love this fabulously simple idea of paring a fresh salad with the filling protein and fiber in quinoa and hummus. There were two additional positives with this very comforting meal; I was able to test out another of my truRoots samples and use some of the fresh dill I got at the St. Augustine farmers market last weekend. I almost never think to use dill but it has such a unique flavor that was just perfect with the tart acidity of the lemon. I think I will be using it a lot more often.
As for the sprouted truRoots organic quinoa? The advantage of using the sprouted version is that you get the benefit of whole grain and the option to soak it and eat it raw for you raw vegans out there. I have never had such quinoa. The consistency was almost creamy and with the organic veggie broth I used with it, the flavor was out of this world.
Dilled Cucumber Salad with Feta, Sprouted Quinoa and Hummus
Serves 4 (rounded 1-cup salad, 1/4 cup quinoa and 1oz hummus)
***9 WW Pts Plus
Ingredients
1 English cucumber, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
1 cup chopped bell pepper
1 cup chopped green onions
Small bunch fresh dill, about 1/4 cup chopped
Coarse sea salt, fresh ground pepper and garlic powder, to taste
1 tbsp olive oil
Juice 1/2 lemon
1/3 cup feta cheese (Vegans try this tofu feta)
1 cup quinoa cooked with 3 cup vegetable broth or water, (truRoots Organic Sprouted Quinoa)
4oz store bought hummus of choice, (Nature’s Healthy Gourmet Spinach and Artichoke Hummus)
Directions
1. Add quinoa and water to a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes, remove from heat and let sit 2 minutes.
2. Place cucumber through fresh dill in a medium bowl, season with salt, pepper and garlic powder, juice of 1/2 lemon and 1 Tbsp olive oil; add feta. Mix gently with a spoon.
3. Measure heaping 1 cup servings of salad into each of four bowls, add 1/4 cup feta and 1 oz hummus.
Nutrition Facts
***9 WW Pts Plus
4 Servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 336.0
Total Fat 11.9 g
Saturated Fat 2.7 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1.6 g
Monounsaturated Fat 4.3 g
Cholesterol 10.0 mg
Sodium 395.4 mg
Potassium 395.3 mg
Total Carbohydrate 47.6 g
Dietary Fiber 7.9 g
Sugars 5.9 g
Protein 11.7 g
Vitamin A 15.4 %
Vitamin B-12 3.2 %
Vitamin B-6 16.9 %
Vitamin C 93.0 %
Vitamin E 6.5 %
Calcium 10.6 %
Copper 12.7 %
Folate 14.8 %
Iron 30.4 %
Magnesium 11.2 %
Manganese 21.7 %
Niacin 5.7 %
Pantothenic Acid 6.1 %
Phosphorus 53.3 %
Riboflavin 96.4 %
Selenium 4.2 %
Thiamin 10.0 %
Zinc 8.6 %
I'm glad to see you so determined to reach your goal! that's awesome. I wish I could use some of your determination.
I've never heard of sprouted quinoa before but you make it sound SO good. I'll have to try it
Almost Friday!!! Hope you have a great rest of the week.
I am craving a nice dill, cuke & yogurt salad! This looks like it would totally hit the spot. Yummy!
BTW, I love the post title font changes. It looks great, so much so it made me want to change mine. So, I made some changes and …. screwed up the whole the design of my blog!! Crazy right?!? So I am totally blaming you because your fonts looked so darn cute. LOL
This looks like something I would enjoy eating! Fabulous.
I love truRoots products but have not had the sprouted quinoa. I will have to look for that once I use up the quinoa I have on hand.
I tend to skip buying dill because it's always such a giant bunch that I can never put even a small dent in it and I feel guilty tossing it, but I truly love what it adds to a salad like this one!
Thanks so much for the shout out!
I am really enjoying your blog!
This sounds divine. I love all the ingredients in it!
Congrats on your 500th! What a amazing achievement
Love your blog!
Dawn, I subscribed by e-mail right away, looking forward to your new posts.
That bowl looks delicious and healthy. I sprout quinoa all the time, it's actually one of the easiest to sprout.
I'm going to have to look for sprouted quinoa!
As Greek I love feta and I think that you combined those flavors beautifully!
DO IT DO IT DO IT. I bet you know most of the basics anyway, so a good part of it would be review!
I used to think I hated dill. Then Michael Symon and greek food taught me that I was oh so wrong! This looks like a delicious meal!