Quinoa Salad
If you like couscous salads but are looking for something even healthier, and wheat-free this salad fits the bill. It's light on the digestive system, but filling. The quinoa provides lots of extra protein and fiber. Like couscous quinoa cooks very quickly, so it's an easy dish to prepare anytime.
Ingredients:
2-3 cups cooked quinoa, cooled
1 handful of mixed salad greens, roughly chopped or torn
1 handful of fresh mint, finely chopped
1 handful of fresh parsley, finely chopped
4 large leaves spinach, roughly chopped or torn
3-4 broad beans (fava beans), or fresh peas, shelled
1/4 red or yellow bell pepper (also called capsicum), finely sliced
1 carrot, grated
handful of almonds, roughly chopped
1/2 teas ground cumin
salt and pepper to taste
Dressing:
1/4 cup cold pressed extra virgin olive oil
1 lemon, juiced
1 teas wheat-free tamari (can substitute shoyu soy sauce if you don't mind wheat)
Garnish:
sunflower and pumpkin seeds to garnish
Instructions:
If you cook a bit extra quinoa than you need, you can use the leftovers the next day in this salad. Otherwise, see my article on How to cook quinoa. Make sure it's cooled before you mix it in with the other ingredients.
Toss all salad ingredients in a large bowl until mixed thoroughly.
Pour the dressing over and toss briefly to evenly distribute it.
Garnish and serve.
Serves 2.
Cook's Tips:
This recipe uses very loose measurements because for recipes like this I encourage you to change and adapt them to your taste and the ingredients you have on hand.
[GlutenFree]
Quick and easy, that’s how I love it! One of the main reasons I have couscous salad for lunch like every single day :p
Alison
salad greens — -like what??
what are ‘broad beans’?
what is capsicum
sorry but this is new stuff for me! Thanks
Hi Linda. Capsicum is another name for bell pepper that’s used more commonly in some parts of the world. Thanks for bringing that to my attention, I’ve updated the recipe itself to say bell pepper as well.
Salad greens – can be things like rocket/arugula, salad burnett, mitsoi, mizuna, tat-soi, purslane, celery or any leafy greens you would put in a salad, including the leafy lettuces. They are often found in the stores under the name Mesclun salad (here in New Zealand anyway), or may also be called Spring Mix. Here’s a page that has some good photos of Mesculn mix and some of the individual leafy greens that can make it up.
Broad beans are also called Fava beans. They can be dried but it’s the fresh ones I’m referring to here. You could also use fresh peas, or snow peas if you can’t find fava beans. You can also omit them entirely, the Quinoa salad will still be tasty 🙂
Thank you!!!! going to try this
Your recipes on quinoa cooking including salads are valuable contribution to the community of healthy food choices seekers towards healthy living, hence good nutrition info indeed- it is a good site.
try adding some cold roasted pumpkin and pine nuts to this salad……….its divine.
That does sound divine Robyn, thank you for the suggestion!
I make the salad but i dont use greens. I just cut up orange and yellow or red peppers green onions cucumber and cherry tomatoes and i put a little oluve oil on it and i love lemon so i put lots of lemon juice a little salt and pepper and i could eat the whole bowl. I also love quinoa hot too.