I’m not used to incorporating fruits into meals. When I was growing up, fruit was a dessert. So I’ve been bringing fruits to work with me to snack on in the morning and the afternoon. But every once in a while, as I tally up my servings for the day, I find I still need to fit in one more fruit serving and I come up with ways to add fruits to dinner. Here’s one. If you need more fruits, add golden raisins (1/4 cup = 1 serving).

For caramelizing carrots, I prefer butter over oil, so I compromise by using Smart Balance’s butter and canola blend. That way I still get the taste of butter, but without using as much actual butter.

Quinoa Salad

Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 1 cup dry quinoa
• 1 tbsp Smart Balance butter and canola blend
• 1/2 cup carrots sliced thinly
• 1 cup fresh pineapple, diced (1/4″ cubes)
• 1 cup fresh firm (not quite ripe) mango, diced (1/4″ cubes)
• 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
• 1 clove garlic, pressed or chopped
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/4 cup pine nuts

Instructions

1. Follow the instructions on the box to cook the quinoa. 
2. Melt butter in frying pan over medium heat. Add the carrots, pineapple, mango, bell pepper, and garlic. Stir fry until carrots and pineapples have golden caramelized edges.
3. Mix fruit/veggies into the cooked quinoa along with the olive oil, lemon juice, and pine nuts.
4. Serve warm or chilled.

Makes 4 servings. Each serving has the following:
DASH food groups: Grains: 1 serving; Vegetables: 1/2 serving; Fruits: 1/2 serving; Nuts/seeds/legumes: 1/4 serving; Oils: 1/2 serving
Sodium: 41 mg
Calories: 336

Françoise