Quinoa Salad with Walnuts, Edamame and Apple

Since 2013 is the United Nations' "International Year of Quinoa", we're jumping on the bandwagon by serving quinoa at home. I love the nutty flavour of this cholesterol-free, gluten-free grain.

QUINOA SALAD WITH WALNUTS, EDAMAME, AND APPLE

Serves 10 to 12

Adapted from the recipe from www.alexandracooks.com

Ingredients:

1 cup quinoa

1 cup frozen edamame

1 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped


1 small red onion, minced to yield 1/4 to 1/2 cup


4 to 5 scallions or spring onions, rinsed, trimmed and finely sliced

1/2 green apple, cut into thin strips

Salt and pepper to taste


Crushed red pepper flakes

1 1/2 lemons


1/4 to 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Directions:

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Meanwhile, place quinoa in a fine-meshed sieve and rinse under cold water. When the water comes to a boil, add the quinoa and simmer for 9 minutes. Drain in a fine-meshed sieve and run under cold water until cool. Set aside to dry.

Meanwhile, cook your edamame. Add 1 teaspoon of salt to 3/4 pot of water, and bring to a boil. Add edamame and cook for 4 to 5 minutes. Edamame should be firm - mushy beans are overcooked. Rinse under cold water until cool. Set aside.

Meanwhile, slice up your green apple into thin strips, approximately 3cm x 0.5cm x 0.5cm.

Place the drained and dried quinoa into a large mixing bowl. Season all over with salt and pepper to taste. Crush some red pepper flakes over top if you are using. Add the edamame, walnuts, red onion, scallions, radishes, olive oil and the juice of one lemon to the bowl. Toss and taste. 

Food Allergy Tests

This is what started our healthy journey:

Between the ages of 9 and 17 months, our son E spent most of his time shuttling between pediatricians and hospitals. He had a bout of asthma every fortnight. He watched TV while hooked onto a nebulizer. His bedtime routine was 2 Ventolin puffs, 2 Flixotide puffs, followed by a goodnight kiss.

We sent E for a blood test to check for food allergies and sensitivities. The IgE (immunoglobulin E) test did not turn up any allergies, but the IgG (immunoglobulin G) test (results above) showed that he had a major intolerance for his daily staple - milk.

As an experiment, we:

• Replaced his daily milk with a mix of 2/3 rice milk + 1/3 formula;
• Eliminated most of his trigger foods from his diet. Common offenders were dairy, wheat and eggs. E-specific triggers included broccoli, tomatoes, carrots and citrus fruits.

And what miraculous results. Since then, E barely visits the pediatrician once a quarter. We've tucked the nebulizer away on the top shelf. And we no longer have to wake up in the middle of the night to check if he's wheezing.

E is now a bubbly 2.5 year old boy, and our hunt for dairy-free and gluten-free recipes continue!