Quinoa Salad
- Minutes to Prepare:
- Minutes to Cook:
- Number of Servings: 6
Ingredients
For the Quinoa:1 cup uncooked quinoa1 1/2 cups water1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)1 large bell pepper1 large carrot3 stalks celery2 large green onions1/2 cup shelled pumpkin or sunflower seedsFor the dressing:3 Tbsps fresh lemon juice (yield from 1 or 2 lemons)1/4 cup olive oilAbout 15 cloves of garlic, roasted1/4 tsp cayenne1/2 tsp salt
Makes 6 1-cup servings.
Put your quinoa in a bowl or pot and cover with cold water. Allow to soak for 15 minutes. This step is very important as soaking releases the saponin on the outside of the quinoa seeds, saponin is quite bitter and will leave your salad with an unpleasant aftertaste.
While your quinoa is soaking, dice the pepper, green, celery and carrots finely, and juice your lemons.
Rinse the quinoa thoroughly in a fine mesh strainer and put in a pot along with 1 1/2 cups water and salt (the salt is optional but if you're not on a strict sodium diet I recommend it). Bring the pot to a boil without a lid, once the water is boiling reduce the heat to low and cover. Allow the quinoa to cook for another 15 minutes, then remove from heat and allow to stand another five before fluffing with a fork and transferring to a bowl to cool.
While your quinoa is cooling, mash up the roasted garlic and then combine it with the rest of the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until the mixture thickens slightly, about a minute. Use a fork or wooden spoon to occasionally fluff and turn the quinoa while it is cooling, though it doesn't need to be perfectly cool to make the salad, as long as it's not unpleasantly warm to the touch, you should be fine.
Mix the quinoa, veggies and seeds together and then pour on the dressing and stir, let the salad sit for at least 30 minutes so that the flavors can mingle. If you eat dairy, a little bit of feta cheese sprinkled on top is delicious.
(If you've never roasted garlic, the process is quite simple. Take a whole head of garlic and slice off the top with a knife, remove the outermost papery skin. Put the garlic on a small piece of tinfoil and pour about 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil on top (this is calculated into the calorie count for this recipe). Make a loose pouch around the garlic with the tinfoil and roast in a 400 degree oven for 45-60 minutes, until the garlic is fragrant and very soft. Allow to cool before removing the cloves.)
Note: The 1 cup serving assumes this is a main dish to be eaten with a piece of fruit or other side. As a side salad, half cup servings at 124 calories per piece are more appropriate. As a single dish meal, you may want 1.5 cup servings at 372 calories per piece. An ounce of feta on top will add 75 more calories
Number of Servings: 6
Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user IPSAFICTURA.
Put your quinoa in a bowl or pot and cover with cold water. Allow to soak for 15 minutes. This step is very important as soaking releases the saponin on the outside of the quinoa seeds, saponin is quite bitter and will leave your salad with an unpleasant aftertaste.
While your quinoa is soaking, dice the pepper, green, celery and carrots finely, and juice your lemons.
Rinse the quinoa thoroughly in a fine mesh strainer and put in a pot along with 1 1/2 cups water and salt (the salt is optional but if you're not on a strict sodium diet I recommend it). Bring the pot to a boil without a lid, once the water is boiling reduce the heat to low and cover. Allow the quinoa to cook for another 15 minutes, then remove from heat and allow to stand another five before fluffing with a fork and transferring to a bowl to cool.
While your quinoa is cooling, mash up the roasted garlic and then combine it with the rest of the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until the mixture thickens slightly, about a minute. Use a fork or wooden spoon to occasionally fluff and turn the quinoa while it is cooling, though it doesn't need to be perfectly cool to make the salad, as long as it's not unpleasantly warm to the touch, you should be fine.
Mix the quinoa, veggies and seeds together and then pour on the dressing and stir, let the salad sit for at least 30 minutes so that the flavors can mingle. If you eat dairy, a little bit of feta cheese sprinkled on top is delicious.
(If you've never roasted garlic, the process is quite simple. Take a whole head of garlic and slice off the top with a knife, remove the outermost papery skin. Put the garlic on a small piece of tinfoil and pour about 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil on top (this is calculated into the calorie count for this recipe). Make a loose pouch around the garlic with the tinfoil and roast in a 400 degree oven for 45-60 minutes, until the garlic is fragrant and very soft. Allow to cool before removing the cloves.)
Note: The 1 cup serving assumes this is a main dish to be eaten with a piece of fruit or other side. As a side salad, half cup servings at 124 calories per piece are more appropriate. As a single dish meal, you may want 1.5 cup servings at 372 calories per piece. An ounce of feta on top will add 75 more calories
Number of Servings: 6
Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user IPSAFICTURA.
Nutritional Info Amount Per Serving
- Calories: 247.5
- Total Fat: 12.4 g
- Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
- Sodium: 440.2 mg
- Total Carbs: 29.6 g
- Dietary Fiber: 3.3 g
- Protein: 6.0 g
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