Urban Deli Tag olive oil

We hope you made it to the Simply For Life (SFL) seminar last night at the Trade and Convention Centre. If you did, you may have seen us. We were one of the many Saint John vendors taking part. Events like this are always full of information and for us it was a nudge to get on something we have in the works: identifying the SFL approved items on our menu.

On the subject of foods, last year when we were at the Fundy Food Festival we served up quinoa (pronounced keen-wa) wraps and they really went over well with everyone. Quinoa is a gluten-free food and we’re posting our recipe (see below).

What’s quinoa?

Quinoa is a grain-like crop grown for its seeds, which are edible. It has a long history as a food source. More significantly, it’s known for a number of valuable properties. Wikipedia tells us quinoa is,

“… Highly appreciated for its nutritional value, as its protein content is very high (12%–18%). Unlike wheat or rice (which are low in lysine), and like oats, quinoa contains a balanced set of essential amino acids for humans, making it an unusually complete protein source among plant foods. It is a good source of dietary fiber and phosphorus and is high in magnesium and iron. Quinoa is gluten-free and considered easy to digest.”

Now, here’s our quinoa wraps recipe, via our long time friend Lianne of Exhale Coaching in British Columbia. Thanks Lianne!

Quiona Wraps Recipe

Ingredients

1 cups quinoa (keen-wa)
2 cups water
Lettuce (iceberg, butterhead or romaine)

Method

Combine water and quinoa. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer covered and cook for 15 minutes.

Marinade

3 tbs ginger, fresh and grated
1 garlic clove minced
1-2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tbs cilantro
1 tbs olive oil
2 tbs honey
3 tbs lemon juice
1 tsp salt
1-2 scallions (optional)

Method

Combine ginger, scallions, garlic, red pepper flakes, and cilantro. Whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, honey and salt. Combine these together and then add the quinoa.

Note: can be served warm or cooled. Next day, it’s even better. Can be served on its own or with a dollop of peanut butter / peanut sauce on each with the lettuce.

I love making this type of salad, and on the weekend I took full advantage of my time and spent it doing other things rather than cooking.

The dressing:

Acids to oil ratio should be about 1:3 or 4. 1 part acid to 3 or 4 parts oil. I made enough dressing that could have done a serving for 4 or 5, so I only used a bit of it. I actually didn’t measure so my measurements are guesses, just so you know.

Juice of one whole lemon
A tablespoon of balsamic vinegar
Olive oil, to the ratio above
Teaspoon of dried oregano
A couple squeezes of honey
3 cloves of garlic, finely minced or pressed
A pinch of Kosher salt, a few grinds of black pepper
Half teaspoon of your favourite mustard, I used whole grain

I mixed all of this into a mason jar, shook vigorously, and set aside.

Salad:

Romaine heart, one head
6 sweet cocktail tomatoes (they’re a smaller tomato available at the Superstore, really delicious for an out of season tomato)
Half a small red onion
Half an English cucumber
12 Kalamata olives
Several small cubes of feta cheese
One small carrot, grated
A couple handfuls of wild-caught Maritime shrimp (bought at Misty Harbour Seafood)

In a large bowl, I tossed everything but the shrimp with the dressing very well. A well-tossed salad needs little dressing. I shake my head at anyone who ever asks for dressing on the side, and then awkwardly tries to coat their salad on their plate, especially if they asked for it on the side to cut down on the amount of dressing on their plate. I then topped the salad with shrimp, and served some bread on the side.

Lemonade, two large servings:

Rind and juice of 7 lemons plus 2 shots of vodka
Let that infuse with about a half a cup of sugar (or more, to taste)
Because I had some on hand, I also put in a few Kaffir lime leaves

I let it sit for a few hours and then I strained it, poured over two tall glasses of ice, and added another shot of vodka to each glass.

I filled each glass ¾ full, topped with sparkling mineral water, stirred, and served.

***

Bio: Dan Jones is a food, drink, and travel writer from Saint John. Follow him on Twitter: @danjjj

Tag: olive oil

Gluten-free quinoa wraps – our recipe

Quiona Wraps Recipe

Romaine Greek salad with wild-caught shrimp (Oh! And lemonade with vodka)