Dinner is served!

The following meal is easy on the wasteline and the tastebuds. One of my absolute cuisines is Meditteranean, especially because they have so many salads. Its just so refreshing to eat raw salads flavoured with wonderful dressings! On this note, I want to share with you my recipe for marinated Drumsticks with Meditteranean Quinoa Salad.

In our home, we tend to marinate whole chickens and chicken legs in east indian spices before we freeze them to ensure that we can simply toss them in the oven when they are required. Its just so much more convenient on those days where the last thing you want to do is be in the kitchen.  So for the protein in this recipe, it was a simple defrost and bake off of the chicken legs.
These particular legs were marinated in a Tandoori mixture and baked in a 400 degree oven for thirty - forty five minutes turning every 15 mins.

For the salad, here are the ingredients you will need:
1 cup Quinoa
2 cups Chicken Broth/ Beef Broth/ Vegetable Broth
2/3 cup tomato chopped (cherry tomatoes would be so cute in this)
2/3 cup cucumber chopped
2 tbsp cilantro
1/2 cup Red Bell pepper chopped

Sauce                                                             
3 tbsp-lemon juice
3 tbsp- Olive Oil and Vinegar mixture
1/4 cup- Ranch Dressing
1 tbsp- Parmesan Cheese
1/4 tsp minced garlic or garlic paste
2 tbsp Sun dried Tomato packed in oil
pinch of black pepper




In a medium sized pot, add broth and quinoa and allow to come to a boil. After it begins to boil, simmer covered until all of the liquid has been absorbed and the quinoa has reached the texture of soft rice.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl mix together the ingredients for the sauce.

In another bowl, add the vegetables and about 1/4 of the sauce, set aside

Once the liquid has all been absorbed, let the quinoa cool.
At this point you have two options:
1. If serving as a salad, layer the bottom of your platter with lettuce, then layer quinoa right on top covered with the vegetable mixture. Top everything with the sauce.
2. If serving this as a side for a meat dish, omit the lettuce and continue with the same procedure.


I served it alongside a meat dish, so I went the second route as you can tell.

Quinoa is very high in protein content (12- 18%) and unlike its wheat or grain counterparts, it contains a balanced set of essenital amino acids. It is also a source of fiber and is gluten-free. As you know, I am always looking for a tasty alternative to tasty rice which has just too many carbs to count. We substitute rice for quinoa, a couple times a month but this year, I definitely hope to do it more frequently!
This meal is wholly satisfying and healthy. What more can we ask for?
Happy Eating!
Ameera