Quick, light & healthy: flavors of the Southwest - cooking and eating low-fat meals - includes recipes and related articles - Cover Story

Sunset, Jan, 1997 by Elaine Johnson

1. In a 2- to 3-quart pan over medium-high heat, stir pine nuts until golden, about 2 minutes; remove from pan.

2. In the same pan, bring the broth, tomatoes, garlic, and cumin to a boil over high heat. Stir in the couscous, cover, remove from heat, and let stand 5 minutes. Add the pine nuts and parsley, and fluff with a fork. If desired, season to taste with salt.

Per serving: 357 cal., 13% (46 cal.) from fat; 14 g protein; 5.1 g fat (0.8 g sat.); 63 g carbo (5.4 g fiber); 334 mg sodium; 0 mg chol.

Some people set their sights on the Publishers Clearing House Sweepstakes or a state lottery. Roxanne Chan of Albany, California, has found a more lucrative way to use her free time: she creates recipes to publish and enter in cooking contests.

About the cooking contests, Chan explains, "Even though I enjoy creating recipes for the sake of coming up with a good idea, it's fun to win a contest." And in the past dozen years, she's won 350 of them. So far, the big-cash jackpots have eluded her. But she's scored a new car, a kitchenful of appliances, and numerous international trips.

Chan has also scored binderfuls of clippings from her publications. Southwestern Quinoa Salad is her 51st recipe to appear in Sunset over 16 years. We've come to count on Chan's healthful and delicious ideas for using grains and fresh produce, and on her creative eye for combining a variety of textures and colors.

For this light, refreshing salad, Chan built on the South American origin of quinoa by adding other foods native to the Americas - beans, corn, and peppers - plus Southwestern seasonings.

Southwestern Quinoa Salad

Prep and cook time: About 30 minutes

Notes: Look for quinoa next to other grains in your supermarket. Use fresh-squeezed lime juice.

Makes: 6 servings

1 1/4 cups quinoa, rinsed well and drained 1/3 cup lime juice 1 tablespoon olive oil 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 1 can (15 oz.) reduced-sodium black beans, rinsed and drained 1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed, or drained canned corn 1 cup chopped jicama 3/4 cup chopped canned roasted red peppers (not oil-packed) 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro 2 tablespoons minced red onion 2 tablespoons minced fresh jalapeno chili Salt Butter lettuce leaves

1. In a 2- to 3-quart pan over high heat, bring quinoa and 2 1/2 cups water to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until water is absorbed, 10 to 15 minutes. Rinse to cool; drain well.

2. Meanwhile, in a bowl combine lime juice, oil, cumin, beans, corn, jicama, roasted peppers, cilantro, onion, and chili. Mix in quinoa, then season to taste with salt. Spoon over lettuce leaves.

Per serving: 237 cal., 17% (41 cal.) from fat; 8.7 g protein; 4.6 g fat (0.5 g sat.); 44 g carbo (9.2 g fiber); 190 mg sodium; 0 mg chol.

Sarojni Mehta-Lissak of Long Beach, California, comes from a family of passionate home cooks. "My dad is from India, and I was raised with Indian food. His whole side of the family loves cooking." From an early age, Mehta-Lissak also took an interest, watching her parents at the stove. By the time she was in high school, she was checking out cookbooks instead of novels from the library.