Quinoa, Bocconcini and Oregano Salad: A Visit from Chef Julianna

I am so blessed to have such lovely foodie blogger friends here in the blogosphere! I never, ever imagined what a wonderful community I would find….a community full of caring hearts and encouragement! One of the many, many unexpected ways you have encouraged me has been through doing guest posts for me lately, so that hubby and I could more fully enjoy our vacation these past couple weeks! What a blessing! And in case you thought things were going to slow down for me…..guess what?! We are moving! Not far…just to a different house. But that still requires a lot of packing, cleaning, unpacking (beginning tomorrow)…you see what I am getting at here. 🙂 I am excited to say that I have had some more of you amazing cooks with your own awesome blogs be willing to guest post for me during this month! Don’t worry, I will still be cooking and blogging my own stuff too, but it will be such a huge blessing to have some of you come alongside me as I pack, pack, pack! And I know it will be a super big treat for you all to hear from these lovely guests who have taken on the challenge of making some low-glycemic, no refined sugar goodness for you! I am so excited!

The first of these people is none other than Chef Julianna at Foodie on Board! She is so amazing in the kitchen that when she gives me a compliment my mouth quickly changes into a gigantic smile! 😀 Actually, I am usually thinking, “Wow, this wonderful chef…she actually thinks I can cook well?!” 🙂 Her words have continued to be such an encouragement to me as I continue “Creating beauty in the kitchen!” I feel like she has been one of my biggest fans since she started following my blog, and I feel so honored that she would pop on over here and cook for us all!

Her Roasted Yams and Fresh Figs with Goat Cheese, a recent recipe of hers, just makes my mouth water! I told you she was amazing in the kitchen! And I still remember her Three Ginger Gingersnaps that she made back in April! Delicious…and love the presentation!

Julianna, I am truly so happy to have you here for the day! Thank you for blessing me while I am busy packing, and thank you for blessing all of my followers with your wonderful creativity and giftedness in the kitchen!

Okay, enough from me….here is the lady you have been waiting for 😀 ….

When Lori asked me to do a guest post for her I was so delighted.  How could I say no, to such a sweet person?  Since I started following Lori’s blog, I have been in awe at how dedicated she is to her new way of eating – low glycemic and no refined sugar.  I have also been so impressed that she hated cooking before she began her blog! I have asked myself repeatedly, how is it that these beautifully creative recipes are coming from a woman who hated cooking a few months ago?  But I no longer question this and just enjoy reading her posts, drooling over her sumptuous recipes, and socializing with her through our blogs.

When Lori reminded me that the recipe I chose should be low-glycemic, I rubbed my hands with glee!  Truth be known, I eat this way most of the time too, but I don’t adhere to a strict diet. My body just feels better when I feed it food from natural sources, low in sugar.  For me this means loads of vegetables, protein from plant and animal sources and of course fruits, especially berries. Today’s recipe reflects that way of eating, and I was pretty sure that Lori would like it because she had admired one of my other quinoa salad recipes. This recipe is perfect for summer time because vegetables are very fresh this time of year.  I used fresh peas and oregano, which really make the salad taste like summer.  This recipe is modified from “Quinoa 365”, by Patricia Green and Carolyn Hemming.  I hope that you enjoy it, Lori and thanks for the honour of asking me to guest post for you.

Quinoa, Bocconcini and Oregano Salad

• Difficulty: easy
• Print

Ingredients:

¾ cups quinoa

11/2 cups water

½ teaspoon salt

½  cup diced green zucchini

½ cup diced yellow zucchini

1 cup halved cherry tomatoes

½ cup diced red onion

½ cup fresh green peas, or frozen and thawed if you really have to

1 cup diced red bell pepper

½ cup diced yellow pepper

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar (brown or white)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh oregano or 2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic

pinch salt

finely ground black pepper

1 cup halved mini bocconcini cheese pieces

 

Method:

Bring quinoa, water and salt to a boil in a medium saucepan. Reduce heat to a simmer.  Cover and cook for 10 minutes.  Turn the heat off and leave saucepan, covered, on the burner for another 5 minutes.  Remove the lid and fluff with a fork.  Set aside until completely cooled.

Combine the zucchini, tomatoes, onion, peas and peppers in a large bowl.

Whisk the vinegar, olive oil, mustard, oregano, garlic, salt and pepper together in a small bowl.  Pour the dressing over the vegetables and mix all of the ingredients.  Add the quinoa and bocconcini and mix until evenly combined.

Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to 3 days.

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Isn’t this salad amazing?! Julianna knows how much I LOVE quinoa, so I can’t wait to try this! Thanks Julianna! Yum! Yum! Yum!

For more delicious recipes from this lovely lady, head over to Foodie on Board!