Okay- I know it’s a super long title: Sundried Tomato, Basil & Raw Corn Quinoa Salad Recipe. BUT it’s super easy to make, super tasty and is packed with nutrients that you don’t want to miss out on!
Let’s see how…
Beauty Fruit: Sundried Tomatoes
Sun-dried tomatoes are packed with nutrients that contribute to our overall health and beauty, and are one of my favorite Beauty Detox Solution foods.
One cup of sun-dried tomatoes has 8 grams of protein (surprising, right?!) and 7 grams of fiber. The same serving size has 39 percent of the recommended daily intake of potassium (essential for muscle contraction and the transmission of nerve impulses), and 23 percent of the daily intake of thiamine and riboflavin, as well as 31 percent of niacin. You’ll also receive 19 percent of the daily intake of vitamin K, which is necessary for blood clotting and regulates bone mineralization.
These B vitamins are essential for converting food to energy and help in maintaining the nervous system and keeping our skin healthy.
These red beauties also provide antioxidants that protect your health by neutralizing free radicals and lowering inflammation—receiving 23 percent of the recommended daily intake of vitamin C and 16 percent of vitamin A in a one cup serving.
Remember too, that vitamin C is one of the most important beauty nutrients that keeps your skin looking its healthiest and most beautiful.
Beauty Herbs: Basil
Basil is one of my favorite fresh herbs. It adds a great pop of flavor to this dish. Basil has an amazing aroma and unique flavor that can be used in a variety of ways. I use basil in everything from soups and salads to my Glowing Green Smoothie to just plain ole water.
Here are just a few standout reasons to add this beauty herb to your daily meal planning:
Anti-inflammatory: Basil contains powerful essential oils, such as, eugenol, citronellol and linalool. These are enzyme-inhibiting oils that help in lowering inflammation, including inflammatory bowel conditions.
Liver-protector: Basil produces detoxifying enzymes which keeps out liver cleansed and in top function, aiding in removing unwanted waste for our gut.
Immune-booster: Basil has anti-microbial activity which fights against a wide range of bacteria, yeasts, molds and viruses. (Gotta clean these ickies up if we want to be our most radiant from the inside out!)
Beauty Veggie: Organic Raw Corn
Commercialized, pesticide-ridden, government-subsidized, GMO kind of corn that is produced in large quantities—much of which eventually gets turned into high fructose corn syrup, or feed for animals in factory farms– is of course to be avoided!
In fact, what has been discovered is today’s mass-produced corn barely resembles the plant from which it came. It is nutritionally bankrupt, genetically modified, tasteless, and chock full of pesticides. But some fresh organic corn is okay. Organic corn provides minerals such as phosphorous, magnesium, manganese, zinc, iron and copper. It also contains trace minerals like, selenium (which is difficult to find in most normal diets).
So when it comes to this recipe today, I’m talking about raw, organic, sweet white corn (which is in season right now and can typically be found at your local farmers markets).
Make sure that the white corn you get is organic and local, if at all possible. You only want corn that you can eat shortly after being picked, otherwise it will become too starchy. If you haven’t had the chance to check out my blog, EWG Shopper’s Guide: The Smartest Way to Use Your $ to Buy Your Food!, now is your chance, since it will provice some guidance and great tips on how to buy smart, for your overall health and beauty!
You may be surprised to note that corn can be eaten raw, but it is true. It has a lot of fiber and natural enzymes in it’s raw state- plus is more juicy this way in my opinion- and doesn’t need to be cooked.
While prepping, you can just shuck it and then very carefully saw the corn off each side with a long knife. Remember too, that corn has some vitamin C, which will be preserved if you eat it raw.
All in all, corn is just a great ingredient to spruce up your summer dishes and salads.
Beauty Food: Quinoa (KEEN-wah)
I love quinoa because it’s naturally gluten-free, high in protein, and one of the few plant foods that contain all nine essential amino acids.
Quinoa is high in fiber, magnesium, B-vitamins, iron, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, vitamin E and various other beneficial antioxidants—being prized for its nutrient richness.
This beauty grain also has anti-inflammatory benefits. By consuming quinoa daily, it has be shown to lower levels of inflammation.
Quinoa also contains greater amounts of lysine and isoleucine, which allows the protein in quinoa to serve as a complete protein source. You don’t have to get complete protein in every meal (given you eat a wide variety of whole plant foods), but it’s nice to know sources that provide it for you [1].
It is also very important to soak grains (even though quinoa is technically a seed we treat it as a grain), at least eight hours (preferably overnight), to help deactivate the enzyme inhibitors that coat all grains (and beans), and will make them easier to digest.
This may sound like a chore but once you get in the habit, it will be a breeze. Just plan your ahead, throw some quinoa in a bowl with water the night before making this recipe, and make enough quinoa to last you a couple of days. You will be happy when you have leftovers to toss into a salad!
Prepare all your ingredients
Combine the quinoa, water and salt in a medium pot, cover, and bring to a boil. Once it is boiling, reduce to a simmer and let simmer until water is gone, about 15 minutes or so. Remove from heat and let cool.
Combine the cooked and cooked quinoa, kale, raw corn, basil, sun-dried tomatoes, and lemon juice in a large bowl.
Toss until fully combined.
Serve immediately or chill until ready to serve. Will keep for 2-3 days. Enjoy!!
See this full tasty recipe below…
Sundried Tomato, Basil and Raw Corn Quinoa Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups quinoa rinsed
- 3 cups water
- 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon salt or more as needed to taste
- 2 tablespoon basil
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 cups raw organic kernels shaved from the cob
- 2 cups kale
Instructions
- Combine the quinoa, water and salt in a medium pot, cover, and bring to a boil. Once it is boiling, reduce to a simmer and let simmer until water is gone, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.
- Combine the cooked quinoa, raw corn, basil, sun-dried tomatoes, raw kale and lemon juice in a large bowl. Toss until fully combined. Serve immediately or chill until ready to serve. Will keep for 2-3 days. Enjoy!!
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Let me know how you enjoyed this recipe in the comments below, and be sure to use #beautydetoxrecipe. I love hearing your thoughts and feedback on making your own creations!
Keep this recipe handy by adding it to your Dinner Recipes Pinterest Board!
See you back here soon. Lots of love,
Kimberly
Try to always focus on the things that matter, rather than the little things that don’t. With love xo
kale is an listed as an ‘Ingredient’, but not mentioned in the ‘Instructions’.
There is a typo in step 2