YUMMY RECIPES : QUINOA GARBANZO CELERY AND PEPPERS SALAD

It's sunday!!! and what better day to experiment on a dish. Coming up with a dish is a result of personal taste and food exposure. Lately, I have been enjoying celery, garbanzos (chickpeas)  bell peppers and Quinoa. Quinoa I believe will become my one of my staple for its protein content and delicious nutty flavor.  Garbanzos is also becoming one of my faves for it's starchy, yet fibrous qualities and for it's adaptability in a any dish.

Today I thought I would put together a salad inspired by the different meals I have eaten this past 2 weeks. I had Indian food  " Chana Masala" my first re-introduction to Garbanzos after  a long while, which actually made me come up with a "Paella" inspired vegetarian dish. Then I prepared a Cucumber Cranberry, Almond , Quinoa salad when I spent a weekend with a friend ,Donnel in Half Moon Bay making a Chuppah for  a client.

While all these tastes and flavors are still fresh in my palette and head I thought I would make a , get a hold of this name, Celery, Garbanzo, Pepper, Cucumber Quinoa Salad, drizzled with Garlic Olive Oil Dressing and with some sprinkling of Chopped Parsley!!! WOW!!!

What you'll need:

4 cups of cooked quinoa
1 Slivers of a whole cucumber
1 medium size red Bell peppers
1 Can Garbanzo beans
5  Stalks of Celery
6 clove so garlic
1 medium onion
Half a cup of olive oil
Sea Salt and Pepper to taste
Cayenne pepper - to taste- I feel heat intensifies the saltiness of a dish
1 Tsp Rosemary Salt
A pinch of Sun Dried Tomato powder
A dash of Paprika
Juice of half a Lemon

Cook your Quinoa, I try not to overcook, I like mine al dente, so It doesn't get mushy. I dipped my finger to the bottom of the pan mark where the height of the quinoa then put that finger on top of the quinoa and just a bit below that is where my water level will be. A trick I learned from my Grandma Jovita. Get yourself a small strainer so as not to waste quinoa when washing it.
Slice or chop your ingredients according to your preferred sizes. set aside. I sautéd 3/4 of my celery and bell peppers in olive oil garlic and onion just to bring out the natural sugars and sweetness for about 2 minutes . You may skip this process if you want.

Place your quinoa ( cool it down first) in a bowl. mix in all the ingredients , both the fresh cut celery and bell peppers and the sautéed ones, herbs (herbs not urbs) and spices  top with parsley and the garlic lemon oil dressing)

Garlic Lemon Olive Oil Dressing. -

Half a cup of Olive Oil
5 cloves of Garlic
Juice of half Lemon
Sea Salt and Peppers

Place all ingredient in a small food processor  add sea salt and pepper and blend -DONE..

Cut  your vegetables as you would like to taste and bite into them

 Get yourself a small strainer when washing quinoa

5 cloves of garlic half a cup of olive oil, juice of half lemon  and blend .

Saute 2/3rds of Celery and Bell Peppers, Onion and garlic in olive oil to bring out its natural sugars

for about 2 minutes

You may skip this process and go for all the CRUNCH!!

Cayenne or heat high tens Saltiness in a dish and gives it that POW!!

Try to incorporate your favorite herbs and spices to layer flavors. These 2, I believe,  work for this dish together with paprika.

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before

Tips on wilted herbs- cut the ends and place

in a glass of warm water.

After an hour or so

YUMMMMMMM...