We cooked up a storm on the Red Gold Culinary Stage in the DuPont Pavilion at the Indiana State Fair! I teamed up with Jenny Anchondo, Early Morning News Anchor on Fox 59 and Fred Duncan from Little Red Door Cancer Agency to show and tell everyone about great-tasting and good-for-you ingredients that may help reduce your risk of cancer.
Here’s what we made. Let us know what you think if you try them. If you love tabbouleh, you’ll love this version with quinoa rather than wheat. And if you love guacamole, you’ll love this protein-boosted, budget-friendly version with canned beans. Perfect in the “off season” for avocados if your budget is tight.
Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad
5½ cups cooked quinoa, cooled
1½ cups halved grape tomatoes
1½ cups seeded and diced cucumber
1 cup finely chopped green onion
¼ cup loosely packed, finely chopped fresh mint
¼ cup loosely packed, finely chopped Italian parsley
Zest of one large lemon
¼ cup + 3 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
2½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
¾ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
In a large bowl, lightly toss quinoa, tomatoes, cucumber, onion, mint and parsley. In a small bowl, whisk together lemon zest, lemon juice, oil, salt and pepper. Pour over quinoa mixture and toss lightly. Enjoy immediately or chill first. Refrigerate in tightly covered container.
Makes 8 servings (1 cup each)
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories: 210 Protein: 7 g Carbohydrate: 32 g Fat: 6.5 g Saturated Fat: 0.5 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg Sodium: 230 mg Potassium: 415 mg Calcium: 49 mg Iron: 2.6 mg Folate: 78 mcg (19%) Vitamin A: 182 IU (16 %) Vitamin C: 20 mg (32 %) Fiber: 5 g
Avocado White Bean Dip
1 can (15-16 oz.) great northern or cannellini white beans, rinsed and drained (reserve liquid)
1 can (15-16 oz.) garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed (reserve liquid)
4 large avocados, peeled and seeded
1-1½ cup packed cilantro, coarsely chopped
2 green onions, coarsely chopped
4-6 garlic cloves, depending on size and preference
Zest of 1 lime
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1-2 teaspoons crushed red pepper
¼ – 1/3 cup each lemon and lime juice*
Reserved bean liquid*
In a food processor, combine beans, avocados, cilantro, green onions, garlic, lime zest, salt and crushed red pepper, ¼ cup lemon juice and ¼ cup lime juice. Process until smooth and thoroughly combined. Taste. Add additional lemon/lime juice if desired and reserved bean liquid if a thinner dip is desired.
Serve with whole-grain crackers, corn tortilla chips, pita chips, bagel chips or any fresh vegetables.
*Start with ¼ cup each lemon and lime juice, then add more if needed after tasting. Plus, thin dip with additional lemon/lime juice and/or reserved bean juice.
Makes about 5½ dip (11 servings of ½ cup each)
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories: 170 Protein: 4 g Carbohydrate: 21 g Fat: 8 g Saturated Fat: 1 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg Sodium: 195 mg Potassium: 405 mg Calcium: 36 mg Iron: 1.3 mg (7%)
Folate: 93 mcg (23 %) Vitamin A: 340 IU (7%) Vitamin C: 14 g (24%) Fiber: 6.5 g