{Quinoa Salad w/ Garlic Chicken}

I've been getting really good at sprints, and today I had a personal record. I completed 30 minutes of full out sprints, without any breaks! Usually, I try to take a small break at each 10 minute mark, but today I just kept going. I've been using my Garmin to help track my heart rate and it reached close to 185 at some point, with a maximum speed of 10.5mph. That's definitely HUGE progress for me, considering the first time I did sprints, I was in pain for almost a whole week afterwards.

To help fuel my workouts, I've been increasing my carbs, which also seems to help with recovery. I've also upped my protein. One of my favorite non-paleo foods is Quinoa. It is a pseudocereal rather than a true cereal, or grain, as it is not a member of the grass family. Quinoa is closely related to species such as beets, spinach, and tumbleweeds. (Wikipedia)

Quinoa has a great reputation mostly due to its higher protein content. Nutritonal data shows it's a complete protein, so it's another great way for vegetarians to fulfill their protein requirements. It's a good source of dietary fiber and phosphorus and is high in magnesium and iron. Quinoa is naturally gluten-free and considered easy to digest, which is good for me.

So far I've tried both Red and Plain Quinoa, and they both taste great. You could make it either stove-top or in a rice cooker. I prefer a rice cooker because I can set and let it cook without worrying about stirring.

Tonight's dinner I used some vegetables I had leftover to make this yummy salad. 

Quinoa Salad 

Ingredients

1 cup quinoa
1 1/2 cups cold water or vegetable broth
1/4 tsp salt
1 medium ripe tomato, chopped

1 small red onion chopped
1 medium cucumber, peeled and diced
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, cilantro, or basil

Fresh ground pepper

You could also add a tad of olive oil, chopped avocado, and goat cheese for an even more delicious summer salad.

Directions

Soak the quinoa 5 minutes in cold water. Rinse thoroughly 2 times, pour off the water and drain through a large fine mesh strainer. Cook in rice cooker until done. 

Remove from heat and set aside to cool. Meanwhile, chop the tomatoes, herb, cucumber, and onion.

Gently combine veggies and quinoa in a large bowl

Cover and chill or serve immediately with your Chicken or Fish.