Tomato and Artichoke Quinoa Salad Recipe
Adding quinoa to your diet can help you get a better night’s sleep. Quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) is a seed and related to the spinach and swiss chard family. Quinoa is also known as the “gold of the Incas.” From a nutrition standpoint, quinoa is high in manganese, magnesium, iron and tryptophan! Our Tomato and Artichoke Quinoa Salad is packed with foods high in tryptophan. Add our Tomato and Artichoke Quinoa Salad recipe to your meal for a tryptophan-rich meal to experience the most optimal sleep benefits.
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups quinoa
2 cups water
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups chopped canned artichoke hearts
1/4 cup vegetable broth
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 medium-size yellow tomatoes, seeded, chopped
3 tablespoons chopped green onions
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 cup crumbled feta or goat cheese (optional)
Directions
1. Rinse quinoa in a strainer under cold running water until water runs clear (this is an important step because it helps keep the flavors clean). Drain the quinoa.
2. In a medium saucepan, bring to a boil the quinoa with 2 cups water, and salt. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until quinoa is cooked/al dente. The water should be mostly absorbed. This step will take approximately 20 minutes. Drain and set aside.
3. In a separate large nonstick skillet, heat the 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add artichoke heats and sauté until beginning to soften, about 3 minutes. Pour in the vegetable broth and cover until you bring it to a simmer (about 3 minutes). Add quinoa and the three tablespoons of olive oil. Simmer for about 2-4 minutes until heated through.
4. Stir in tomatoes, onions, basil, and lemon juice. Toss with feta cheese or goat cheese (optional). Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.
Search our comprehensive list of foods high in tryptophan.
For other quinoa recipes, check out http://www.thewholegang.org
Anything with feta has got to be good. I didn’t know quinoa could help me sleep.
I agree! Feta, artichokes, quinoa, and lemon. Can’t go wrong, and it’ll help me sleep better! That’s just an added benefit.
I love the info you share on ingredients and I’m always amazed at which foods help with sleep. So cool! Thank you for sharing this on Friday Foodie Fix. Sweet dreams.
This sounds great. Simple, fresh ingredients with lots of flavor. Thanks for sharing.
Yummy salad. I added shrimp after I saw it had high marks on your list of foods that contain tryptophan – it was a great addition and turned the salad into a great main course. BTW – I like to make dinners like this for my gang of picky eaters – one would not go for the feta so I had it on the side to sprinkle on top.
wow totally did not know about quinoa helping sleep! I love artichokes and tomatoes and feta, this looks great!
[...] Tomato, Feta and Artichoke Quinoa Salad Recipe [...]
I am sure that this recipe is delicious, but quinoa most definitely doesn’t help with sleep for me; in fact the opposite. When I eat it in the evening it makes me feel awake, I go to bed later, I can’t get to sleep for hours, I wake up lots and then have very vivid dreams (and I am normally an ok sleeper).
If I have it for lunch, I don’t have the dreams, but still go to bed later, can’t get to sleep and still wake up lots.
However, bizarrely I get up fairly well rested even if I’ve had only 5 hours sleep, so maybe it’s the food to eat if you don’t have time to sleep!