Cardiologist Recommends a Tasty DASH Diet Salad
Warm Orange Walnut Quinoa Salad with Kale and Spinach
Richard Collins, MD
The Cooking Cardiologist®
This light warm fall salad makes a satisfying dish, thanks to the quinoa, a whole grain that’s high in protein. The recipe is rich in potassium too, which is one of the main components of the DASH diet: Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. DASH diet been ranked as the best diet, the healthiest diet, and the best diet for diabetes, 4 years in a row. The expert panel of physicians assembled by US New & World Reports chose DASH because it is proven to improve health, has a balance of healthy food groups, and it actually works. It has been proven to lower blood pressure and cholesterol, and is associated with lower risk of several types of cancer, heart disease, stroke, heart failure, kidney stones, reduced risk of developing diabetes, and can slow the progression of kidney disease.
For the quinoa:
1 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
2 cups fresh orange juice
½ tsp salt
1/2 cup dried apricots, diced into small pieces
1/2 cup raisins
For the warm dressing:
⅓ cup fresh orange juice
1 shallot, finely chopped (2 Tbs.)
2 Tbs. chopped fresh parsley
2 Tbs. chopped cilantro
2 Tbs. chopped fresh mint
1 Tbs. grated orange zest
½ tsp. ground cumin
½ tsp. ground coriander
2 Tbs. olive oil
For the salad base:
½ cup sliced walnuts
1 cup fresh edamame beans
4 cups assorted greens…kale and spinach coarsely chopped
Toast walnuts 4 to 5 minutes in dry skillet or toaster oven, or until pale brown and fragrant, stirring often.
Bring 2 cups orange juice to a boil in medium saucepan. Add quinoa and salt, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 15 minutes, or until tender and almost all juice is absorbed. Transfer to large bowl. Toss with apricots and raisins.
In a sauce pan on low heat, whisk together orange juice, shallot, parsley, cilantro, mint, orange zest, cumin, and coriander. Whisk in oil. Keep warm.
Garnish greens with toasted almonds and edamame.
Pour the warm dressing over all ingredients.
Serves 6.
Note: a roasted chicken breast could be added on top of the salad pouring the dressing over all.
Nutrition Info: Calories: 350, Total Fat: 13 g, Saturated Fat: 1.5 g, Trans Fat: 0 g, Cholesterol: 0 mg, Sodium: 220 mg, Carbohydrate: 51 g, Fiber: 7 g, Protein: 10 g
Diabetic Exchanges: 3 Carbohydrate, 2 Fat
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