Quinoa superfood salad is a vegan lunch the dreams are made of. It's vibrant, full of textures and flavours, jam-packed with satiating fibre & gluten-free.
Ingredients
1 cup
Quinoa, uncooked
(rinsed)
100 gm
Baby spinach
(any green salad mix)
1/2 avocado(s)
Avocado
(large; sliced)
1 cup shredded
Red cabbage
(small wedge of red; shredded thinly)
1 head
Broccoli, raw
(small broccoli*, divided into florets)
1/2 cup
Green peas, canned, drained
(frozen; or fresh if available)
1 small
Cucumber
(sliced)
1/2 cup
Mung bean sprouts, raw
((or other sprouts))
1 medium
Zucchini
1 large
Yellow onion
(sliced thinly)
10 olive(s)
Kalamata olives
(green kalamata; pitted and quartered)
1 bunch
Mint, fresh
(a handful of; chopped finely)
1 bunch
Basil, fresh
(handful, chopped finely)
3 tbsp
Extra virgin olive oil
3 tbsp
Lemon juice
(or lime)
1/2 clove(s)
Garlic
(grated, roasted or raw)
1 tsp
Chili paste, Gourmet Garden
(or a pinch of flakes (optional))
1 pinch
Salt and pepper
(to taste)
Instructions
Rinse quinoa and place it in a small pot that you have a glass lid for. Add a few pinches of salt and 1.5 cups of water (prefect quinoa ratio is 1:1.5), cover with a lid and bring to boil. Once the water boils, decrease the heat to low-medium and let the quinoa simmer until all the water has been absorbed. To check, tilt the pot slightly, keeping the lid firmly on. If you see no water seeping out from under the grain, it means you are good to go. Switch off the heat completely and let quinoa sit on a hot hob (with lid firmly on) for another 5 mins to finish off cooking in its own steam. Once ready, cool it down completely before adding it to the salad as otherwise the salad leaves will wilt.Bring a pot of water to boil. Prepare a bowl of cold water with a few ice cubes and set it next to the stove. Once the water boils, add broccoli florets and frozen peas and cook for about 90 seconds. Once the time is up, drain the vegetables and immediately plunge them into the cold water so that they retain their beautiful colour. Place on a sieve to drain well. Lightly season with salt and pepper before adding to the salad.Prepare zucchini by either turning it into zoodles (use a speed peeler for wide ribbons) or slicing it and grilling it on a grill pan. If grilling, brush each slice with a bit of olive oil, season with salt and pepper and arrange on a hot (that’s important) grill / griddle pan. Once the slices are browned on one side, turn them over and let them brown on the other side.Mix all the dressing ingredients together and set aside.Just before serving, combine all the salad ingredients in a large bowl. Drizzle the dressing over and scatter spring onions, sprouts and herbs on top.
