Categories: Salad
Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa
- 1 1/2 cups cold water
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup snow peas, shell peas, celery, or green beans
- 2 small carrots, peeled and sliced thin
- 1/2 green or red pepper, sliced thin
- 1 medium ripe tomato
- 1 medium cucumber, peeled and diced
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, cilantro, or basil
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted sunflower seeds or toasted cashews
- Dressing:
- 2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 tsp salt
- Fresh ground pepper
- Options: Pinch of cayenne, garlic powder or fresh minced garlic, minced fresh or dried ginger
Directions
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Quinoa can be made ahead of time and refrigerated
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Soak the quinoa 5 minutes in cold water
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Rinse thoroughly 2 times, pour off the water and drain through a large fine mesh strainer
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Place in 2 qt pot with the water and salt
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Cover the pot, bring to a full boil, turn the heat to low, and cook for 15 minutes
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Remove from heat and set aside to cool
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Steam the carrots and green veg for 5 minutes or until tender-crisp, drain, rinse in cold water and drain again
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Chop the tomatoes, herb and cucumber
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Blend dressing ingredients with a whisk or shake in a jar
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Gently combine veggies, walnuts, quinoa and dressing in a large bowl
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Cover and chill, or serve immediately
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Optional Additions: Chopped scallions, dried unsweetened cranberries, raisins or apricots, Greek olives, minced jalapeno pepper, fresh mint, feta cheese, baked tofu cubes
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Walnuts go well with quinoa, but toasted sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds are also good. If you like black beans, try our tasty quinoa black bean salad.