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Quinoa and Bulgur SaladRita's Quinoa and Bulgur Salad with MintOh my gosh, is this ever good! Quinoa, (pronounced keen-wah) is one of the mother grains. Quinoa helps prevent anemia, fights fatigue and helps keep blood pressure normal. Bulgur wheat can help prevent constipation, has good antioxidant properties and helps prevent colon and breast cancer, and reduces the risk of diabetes and heart disease. It helps lower cholesterol and has more than twice the fiber of brown rice! The lemon provides vitamin C, cucumbers are a great hydrating veggie, and the mint does wonders for your digestion. 1-1/2 cups chopped cucumber 1 cup or so cooked quinoa ** 1 cup bulgur wheat, reconstituted (measure after reconstituting) *** 1/2 cup Feta cheese, crumbled Lemon juice to taste (start with 2-3 tablespoons) 1/4 cup chopped mint 3/4 to 1 teaspoon ground cumin Salt and pepper to taste Combine cucumbers, quinoa and bulghur. Gently toss in Feta, lemon juice, mint, cumin and salt and pepper. Taste for seasonings. Chill before eating. Serves 3-4. **To cook Quinoa: Quinoa seed is thickly coated with a glossy varnish of dry, bitter, soap-like substances called saponins. These natural soap compounds protect the seed from birds and insects. They’re easily dissolved in cold water rinses, usually 3-4 rinses or until the sudsy froth stops forming when fresh water is poured over the grain. Around the outside edge of the grain is a hoop. When quinoa grains cook the soft inside melts and the hoop separates off. These tiny curved crescents resemble add a crunchy texture. When cooking, bring twice as much water or broth to a boil as you have quinoa. It cooks more quickly than other grains. Add the quinoa, reduce the heat to low and cook, covered, for 10-15 minutes or so until the grains are tender and the liquid has been absorbed. It will plump up to about 4 times it’s original volume. *** To reconstitute bulghur wheat:Rinse a couple of times with cool water. Leave about 1/4” of water on top of the wheat. Let reconstitute for 15 minutes or so until most of the water is absorbed. This is a much gentler way of reconstituting than boiling the wheat. Quinoa and Bulgur Salad
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