blue artichoke

Both of GC's family reunions are over. Both were in Tennessee, and both were fun. The first involved a lot of sitting around, eating, drinking beers and visiting with far-flung family members, only a few of whom I had met before. The second was held in a state park and involved a lot of sitting around, eating, drinking beers and visiting with far-flung family members, most of whom I had met before. It also involved pontoon boat rides around Pickwick Lake, a new three-person tennis game called "thracket", a guys-only golf tournament and many heated matches of Wii tennis, golf and bowling. And lots of food. I discovered how tenuous my will power really is. I think I can avoid temptation because I avoid bringing temptation into my house; when surrounded by Twinkies, Pringles and Chips Ahoy!, though, I find that they quickly end up in my mouth. One morning, I opted out of breakfast followed by snacks and visiting time to exerplore (my new word: exercise + explore) the state park. I walked 4 miles, and felt better about all the fried chicken, bacon and BBQ I ate. Not great, but better.

Now that we're home, though, it's time to detox from beers and fatty foods. I made a nice, light summery salad for dinner that tastes even better than it sounds:

Toasted Quinoa, Snow Peas, Tomatoes, and Mozzarella Salad Quinoa grains are covered with a naturally occurring bitter substance called saponin. Although processors remove most of this soapy substance by either washing or polishing the grain, it is important that quinoa be thoroughly rinsed in several changes of clean water before it is cooked. For added flavor, toast it before cooking.

1 1/2 cups uncooked quinoa, rinsed and drained
3 cups water
1 cup diagonally cut snow peas
3/4 cup (3 ounces) diced fresh mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1/2 cup chopped seedless cucumber
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
4 teaspoons extravirgin olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco)

Heat a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add quinoa to pan; cook 5 minutes or until toasted, stirring frequently. Add 3 cups water to pan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and cook 15 minutes or until tender. Fluff with a fork; cool. Place quinoa in a large bowl. Add peas and next 6 ingredients (through tomatoes).

Combine rind and remaining ingredients in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add juice mixture to quinoa mixture; toss gently to coat.

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 1 1/2 cups)

CALORIES 265 (29% from fat); FAT 8.6g (sat 2.5g,mono 3.5g,poly 1.5g); PROTEIN 9.1g; CHOLESTEROL 11mg; CALCIUM 138mg; SODIUM 368mg; FIBER 4.8g; IRON 3.8mg; CARBOHYDRATE 35.1g

Cooking Light, JUNE 2007

This salad comes together quickly and doesn't heat up the house, which is a plus when the kitchen temperature is parked in the 90s and the rest of the house is a balmy mid-80 degrees. Sheesh. I realized that there is very little protein in this meal, so I nuked a couple of Morningstar Farm sausages to serve on the side. They don't really complement the salad, but I was hungry and they were the quickest option. Don't be like me; plan ahead and grill some chicken to go with this salad. Then sit back and gloat over your satisfyingly delicious healthy dinner.

Getting to Know All About You: What has been the most recent new food you've tried?