For the pear and arugula salad
Combine quinoa with 125 ml water in a saucepan. Cover the saucepan and bring to a boil. Once the water boils, reduce the heat to low and simmer until the quinoa is fluffy and the water has evaporated, about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, wash and spin the arugula. Wash the pear and apple and cut into slices. Arrange the arugula, pear, and apple slices on plates.
Other varieties of green apples may also be used.
For the balsamic vinaigrette
Whisk the mustard together with the vinegar and water.
If the dressing is too tangy, you can add a few drops of agave syrup. The author recommends using dijon mustard for the vinaigrette.
You can find the recipe for Balsamic-Dijon Vinaigrette in this cookbook on page 126.
Serve
Spoon the cooked quinoa (warm or chilled) over the salad and drizzle generously with dressing.
Detailed Nutritional Information per Person for this Recipe
The majority of the nutritional information comes from the USDA (US Department of Agriculture). This means that the information for natural products is often incomplete or only given within broader categories, whereas in most cases products made from these have more complete information displayed.
If we take flaxseed, for example, the important essential amino acid ALA (omega-3) is only included in an overarching category whereas for flaxseed oil ALA is listed specifically. In time, we will be able to change this, but it will require a lot of work. An “i” appears behind ingredients that have been adjusted and an explanation appears when you hover over this symbol.
For Erb Muesli, the original calculations resulted in 48 % of the daily requirement of ALA — but with the correction, we see that the muesli actually covers >100 % of the necessary recommendation for the omega-3 fatty acid ALA. Our goal is to eventually be able to compare the nutritional value of our recipes with those that are used in conventional western lifestyles.
The sweet pears perfectly complement the spicy arugula in this pear and arugula salad while the quinoa and apple enhance the nutritional value.
Arugula: Arugula is a popular variety of greens encompassing a number of plant species. The plants all contain mustard oil glycosides that give them a spicy, bitter flavor. Arugula contains high levels of iodine and is recommended for people with hypothyroidism. It is best to use young arugula for salad as older, more mature leaves can have a very strong, almost spicy flavor. These are therefore best used as herbs for seasoning. The leaves will generally taste bitter if they are harvested after the plant blooms.
Bosc pear: The Bosc pear, one of the many variety of pears, contains numerous vitamins and trace elements despite its comparatively low calorie content. Characteristic features of the medium- to large-sized Bosc pear are a long tapering neck and rough skin. Its skin has a yellow-brown color and its pulp is juicy with a sweet-sour taste. Since pears are climacteric fruits, they continue ripening even after being harvested.
Quinoa: Quinoa, a pseudograin (pseudocereal), can be eaten both cooked and raw. It originally comes from the Andes in South America, the home of the Incas, where it has been cultivated for over 6,000 years. Quinoa is gluten-free and has more protein, magnesium, and iron than common grains. It also contains more essential amino acids, including lysine.
Tips
Tip from the author: “You can make the quinoa ahead to save time, or make the entire salad, mixing all the components together (except for the dressing), refrigerating, and later serving as a chilled salad.”
Prevent the pears from turning brown: Pears tend to turn brown when exposed to air. To prevent this, either slice them directly before serving or sprinkle a little lemon juice on the slices.
Alternate preparation
Sweeten the dressing: If the dressing is too tangy, you can add a few drops of agave syrup.
