Saturday, January 23, 2010

Quinoa Salad Froggie Bento


I made quinoa salad for this bento. There are several different varieties of quinoa, which you may know about. I took a picture of the four that I happen to have in my pantry right now: clockwise from top left. Black, regular, red (Peruvian) and tricolor (which is just obviously the previous 3 kinds, already mixed together).

This time I used tricolor quinoa. It's so easy: just saute the veggies first (I used yellow capsicum, onion, garlic, carrots, zucchini), then add the quinoa and broth in a 1:2 ratio. It cooks in 15 minutes. After taking off heat, stir in diced celery, spring onion and almonds for crunch. Use your favorite flavorings: I used garlic powder and cumin this time and it was pretty good. This meal is healthy and tastes good at any temperature; even as a cold salad, making it perfect for bento. Quinoa is also a "perfect" protein, as it contains essential amino acids and yet is a (plant) grain. Plus, it's quick and easy to prepare. It's also good mixed in with oatmeal or other hot cooked cereal for breakfast.


In addition, he gets carrots, grape tomatoes, romanesco, and a cucumber frog. For fruit he has cherries, kiwi flowers and sliced kumquats. Ribbit!

16 comments:

  1. I love quinoa. You are so right about the variety of ways to serve it and this vegan bento box is a grand example. "Kermit" would be proud. Ribbit!

    ReplyDelete
  2. oh man...you're so fortunate to have a kid that'll eat veggies like that! If I made that, my girl would just eat the cherries. It looks gorgeous though and if anything would tempt her, that box would!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Pretty bento and he looks like the frog prince on Princess and The Frog! :D I just got the kids to like brown rice, now to try quinoa!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Debra, I love quinoa too. Thanks a lot!

    Cakebrain, your kids might be surprised to find veggies taste good in quinoa salad! Hope you can try it :)

    Thanks Susan! We eat a lot of brown rice too. Go for it :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Cool! I've been wanting to try quinoa but wasn't so sure about it. Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Angi, it's super fast and easy. I hope you can try it for your family!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Add 'quinoa' to my food dictionary. I'm not familiar with the quinoa. But the colors look very good so it maybe worth to try (if I can find it here). Your frog is cutie and I would say is princess frog as her romanesco crown looks feminine :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Haha, you're right Lia, it looks like a frog headdress... maybe my boy won't mind it's a princess instead :) Hope you can find quinoa. It's healthy and easy to cook with. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Ribbit!! This is lovely! As a fan of quinoa, yum, and of course I am totally grinning over the royal romanesco-crowned froggie and bright adorable fruit slices!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hi bentobird!
    Thanks! We needed a fresh and bright bento to take us through these dark winter days :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. i'm with you sheri (and debra and jenn), i'm a huge fan of quinoa! i love the nutritional benefits and the nutty taste. this bento is adorable with the little froggie... and the fruit section looks bright and juicy :-)

    ReplyDelete
  12. Lovely bento ! I've been looking for kumquats *every where* but no luck (sigh). I'm a huge quinoa fan too.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Hi Judy! Urgh! Really? Maybe you can do a roadtrip up here! We have them in "nicer" grocery stores.
    Go quinoa go! Thanks :)

    ReplyDelete
  14. Hi megan!
    Thanks for your nice comments! I love the healthy qualities of quinoa too, but I don't use it enough. I really want to start by looking for more recipes.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Those frog is super cute! With the romanesco behind it looks like he has a nice hairstyle ;)

    And thanks for the quinoa tip!Those frog is super cute! With the romanesco behind it looks like he has a nice hairstyle ;)

    And thanks for the quinoa tip!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Thanks Lil'chan! Yeah, pointy haired frog! :D
    Have fun with the quinoa. Thanks!!

    ReplyDelete