Chickpea, Carrot & Lime Quinoa

Quinoa (pronounced keen-wah)

With special thanks to Mom who introduced me to this seed a year ago. It is ready to eat in less than 15 minutes and puffs up to four times its dry volume becoming fairly translucent. With its soft, crunchy consistency and mild, nutty flavor, quinoa is a nice substitute for bulgur, rice or couscous and can be added to soups, stews, casseroles and salads.

Quinoa is considered a high-energy food in health circles. It offers a great amount of high-quality protein, has more calcuim than milk, is easily digested, and appears to be gluten-free. I learned that each seed is thickly covered with saponin, a resinlike substance with an extremely bitter, soapy taste, which protects the grains from birds and insects. Commercially sold seeds have already been washed to remove this substance - but I usually give the seeds another rinse.
Enjoy this salad with chickpeas and carrots tossed in a zesty lime dressing.

2 limes
1 c dry quinoa
1 1/4 c water
3 T extra virgin olive oil
1 - 1 1/4 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 shredded large carrots
1 c chickpeas
bunch of thinly sliced scallions
2 handfuls sliced almonds, toasted
1/8 - 1/4 c golden raisins
salt and pepper

Zest one lime. Juice both limes. In a saucepan, combine 3 T lime juice, quinoa, water, 1 T olive oil, curry and 1/2 tsp salt. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until quinoa turns transparent and the liquid is absorbed. Coll and place in a bowl. Toss together carrots, chickpeas, scallions, almonds, and raisins. In a small bowl, combine remaining 3 T lime juice, zest, remaining 3 T oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Whisk until well blended. Pour over quinoa mixture and toss. Serves 4.