The idea of embellishing a yogurt soup or salad with quinoa comes from Deborah Madison, who uses black quinoa in a brilliant recipe for a soup in her book “Vegetable Literacy.” I used red quinoa to add texture, color and substance to this typical Mediterranean combination – finely diced cucumber, garlic, and thick plain yogurt. Use mint or dill, or a combination, and make sure to dice the cucumber very small.
Ingredients
- 2 to 2 ½ cups finely diced cucumber (use a seedless variety such as a long hothouse cucumber, a Japanese cucumber or Persian cucumbers)
- Salt
- 1 ½ to 2 cups plain Greek yogurt or drained yogurt (to taste)
- 1 to 2 garlic cloves (to taste), cut in half, green shoots removed, and mashed to a paste in a mortar and pestle with a pinch of salt
- 1 to 2 tablespoons (to taste) chopped fresh dill or mint
- Freshly ground pepper
- 1 cup cooked red or black quinoa
- Nutritional Information
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
351 calories; 9 grams fat; 0 grams saturated fat; 0 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 50 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 5 grams sugars; 18 grams protein; 16 milligrams cholesterol; 71 milligrams sodium
Note: Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available data.
Serves 4
Preparation
- Toss cucumber with a generous amount of salt and leave in a colander in the sink to sweat for 15 minutes. Drain on paper towels (rinse first if the cucumber tastes very salty).
- Spoon yogurt into a salad bowl and mix with garlic. Stir in cucumber. Add freshly ground pepper (I like a generous amount), taste and adjust salt. Sprinkle dill or mint on top.
- Spoon quinoa over salad and serve, or divide salad among 4 bowls or plates and top each serving with 1/4 cup quinoa.
30 minutes
Dining and Cooking