recipe: gluten free panzanella (with quinoa puffs)
one of the perks of owning your own food businesses is that you are always surrounded by your own product. in my case, my second bedroom (in my tiny new york city apartment) doubles as a micro-warehouse for our new quinoa puffs. i have a lot of excess product samples on hand (anyone want some?), and i have become super thrifty and creative in using them in recipes.
one of the coolest discoveries since launching the quinoa puffs is that they can double as a gluten free crouton. for folks with celiac's disease or gluten sensitivity, that's huge! i figured i'd make a classic italian panzanella salad and substitute the standard day-old bread with more nutrient-rich and gluten-free herbes de provence quinoa puffs. 15g of protein per bag!
1 bag of i heart keenwah herbes de provence quinoa puffs
1 box of cherry tomatoes
1 cucumber
1 red onion
1 clove of garlic
1 fistful of fresh herbes (parsley or basil)
3 tspn of vinegar (balsamic or champagne vinegar would do well)
1 tspn of dijon mustard
2 tspn of olive oil
pinch of salt
chop vegetables into bite-sized pieces. for the onion: i always rinse my chopped onion in water to remove the bite. for the cucumber: deseeded and cut into chunks. for the cherry tomatoes: cut in half. combine with chopped parsley and a bag of quinoa puffs in a mixing bowl. for the dressing, combine one clove of finely chopped garlic, vinegar, olive oil, mustard and salt and whisk (the mustard will act as a emulsifier). coat vegetables with dressing, mix evenly and let sit. panzanella is a sort of salad that gets better with time -- the vinegar cuts through the raw onion and garlic and the quinoa puffs absorb the natural juices of the raw tomato and cucumber. this dish is perfect for a summer bbq!
- ravi