Cooking with Quinoa can be a little intimidating. It's a fairly new ingredient in the Indian market and not a lot of people are aware of its benefits. I could take my time and write down how beneficial quinoa is, but I'm going to skip that part because you probably already know that it's a SUPERFOOD!
As I'm writing this, I saw a couple of parrots fly outside my window and I thought to mention it here will definitely bring a smile to your face as it did on mine. Let's get back to our salad, shall we?
So you can use whatever fresh veggies you can find that are seasonal. You can also include fruits in your salad, why not right? In my opinion, fruits really add a lot of character in salads. My mom always uses grapes and pomegranate. I thought of using mangoes today, but it already looked too pretty, so I skipped it.
Ingredients:
Lettuce Leaves
Chopped fresh Tomato
Sliced Cucumber
Bean sprouts (definitely recommend sprouting these at home)
Chopped coriander for a hint of colour
Vinegarette:
1/2 a Lemon (juice it)
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
2-3 tsp Honey
Mixed herbs
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup Quinoa
1 cup water/stock (I used chicken stock)
Chopped carrots
Chopped Beetroot
Chopped celery (optional)
Method:
Mix all your raw veggies in a bowl and set aside.
Add all the ingredients of the vinegarette in a bowl and mix until it emulsifies.
Wash your quinoa several times underwater to get rid of its bitter taste.
In a Pot, start cooking the carrots, beets and celery with 2 tbsp of water.
Once the veggies are partially cooked, add in washed quinoa and stock.
Cook on a medium flame for 15 minutes or until the quinoa is cooked through. You can taste and check the doneness. The beetroot will add a very pretty colour to the quinoa.
Once cooked, cool down the quinoa and add it to your veggies.
Drizzle over the vinegarette and toss very well.
Serve at room temperature or cold. You can even have it warm as I did.
A super versatile dish, you can add or subtract any ingredients based on your priorities.
Enjoy it as a meal or a side dish, however you choose to have it, I guarantee it will be lip-smackingly delicious.
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