Rainbow Quinoa Salad

 

The plated salad above.

 

What is quinoa? Quinoa is a kind of seed from a flowering plant that belongs to the amaranth family.

One cup of cooked quinoa contains 39 grams of carbs. Thats a lot of carbs for me which is why I would not include this superfood in  a Keto or LCHF lifestyle. Otherwise it is full of protein and is a healthy alternative to pasta salads.

 

 

 

Ingredients:

• 2 cups cooked quinoa. Wash and clean the quinoa seeds of debris. Boil two cups of water with ½ tbsp of salt. Add 1 cup of quinoa to the water and let it boil again. Lower the flame and wait until all the water has been absorbed. Remove the pan from the heat and leave it covered for twenty minutes. The quinoa will cook in the heat, bloom and expand. This is how you’ll get the perfectly cooked quinoa with a bit of crunch. Not over or undercooked.

 

• 1 cup cooked edamame
• 1 carrot shredded
• 1 cup cooked white navy beans or black beans
• a handful of cooked chickpeas
• ½ cup thinly shredded red cabbage
• 1 mango cubed
• ½ cup raw cashew nuts
• 1 small red onion thinly sliced
• 2 Mandarin oranges segmented
• 4 cloves roasted and smashed garlic
• 2 tablespoons fresh shredded coconut
• Himalayan pink salt
• black pepper

 

My herb garden flourishes in abundance in the summertime so I do go crazy with them.

A little bit of each goes a long way.

Herbs

• Cilantro leaves
• Thai basil
• Borage flowers
• Flat leaf parsley
• Oregano
• Basil
• Tarragon
• Lemon balm
• Lemon verbena
• Orange mint
• Spear mint

 

Dressing

• Salt
• Pepper
• 1 red Thai chili thinly slivered – I used five
• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• ¼ cup avocado or olive oil

Mix the dressing in a jar and leave it in the fridge for later use.

 

 

Method:

• Mix all the ingredients together and leave it in the fridge for four hours or overnight.
• The juices from the mango, mandarin and the herbs will be infused together giving this salad a very explosive palatable piquancy.
• Mix in the dressing just before serving.
• The quinoa salad keeps well in the fridge for up to three days, getting crunchier. It can be prepared ahead for outings and picnics.

 

LCHF, Keto, Vegan, Paleo, Gluten Free

Prep. time: 30 minutes

Serves 10 generous portions