Quinoa is a seed – not a grain – with a similar taste and texture to couscous. It is a great choice for complex carbohydrates for those with wheat or gluten intolerances. Quinoa is a good source of manganese, magnesium, and many other vitamins and minerals.
Quinoa Summer Salad
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry quinoa (rinsed well with cold water)
- 1 Tbsp fresh-squeezed lime juice (for tossing avocado)
- 1 cup chopped radishes
- 1 large cucumber, peeled and diced
- 1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
- 1 large carrot, diced
Dressing:
- 3 Tbsp fresh-squeezed lime juice
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp all-purpose seasoning blend
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
The avocado pictured was used only for garnish.
Directions
- Put 1 cup quinoa into a fine-mesh strainer, or put a paper towel inside your strainer if it’s not fine enough to catch the quinoa seeds. Rinse the quinoa well with cold water to remove the saponins.
- Bring 2 cups water to boil in a small saucepan. Stir in quinoa, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook until all the water is absorbed (about 15 minutes). Stir occasionally.
- Let the cooked quinoa cool for a few minutes, then place the salad bowl, fluff with a fork, and allow to cool until quinoa is room temperature (about 15-30 minutes).
- While quinoa cooks and cools, peel carrots and dice. Peel cucumbers, leaving thin green stripes, scrape out seeds, and dice. Cut off the root and stem end of radishes, wash if needed, and dice. Thinly slice enough green onions to make 1/4 cup.
- In a small bowl, stir together the lime juice, ground cumin, all-purpose seasoning, and sea salt, then whisk in the olive oil.
- When the quinoa has cooled to room temperature in the salad bowl, stir in the vegetables. Season to taste with salt and fresh ground black pepper and allow to chill for an hour it the fridge.
Serves 4-6
Nutrition Info
About 1 cup serving size:
| Calories | fat | carbs | fiber | protein |
| 190 | 9 | 24 | 2 | 5 |