Quinoa and Raw Vegetable Salad
Tri-color quinoa and raw vegetables
With peppers, cucumbers, shallots, red onion, tomatoes, broccoli or some leftover steamed sweet potatoes - whatever you have on hand, quinoa is the simple solution for pulling a colorful array of fresh vegetables together for dinner tonight. Ideally, though, the process starts early in the morning or the night before when the quinoa soaks. Many people do cook quinoa without soaking, but this is a simple step worth taking for a better nutrition. (Read why it is necessary to soak and prewash quinoa.)
Quinoa is a SimplyCooking® Pantry staple. Read more here about how to cook quinoa.
quinoa and raw vegetable salad
6 oz quinoa {1 cup}
12 oz water {1 1/2 cups}
bell pepper, diced
red onion, diced
cucumber, sliced, halved
other raw vegetables of choice, chopped
parsley, mint or other fresh herb, coarsely chopped
2 TBSP apple cider vinegar
pinch salt, Celtic Sea Salt preferrable
freshly ground pepper
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp honey
3 TBSP olive oil
Prepare the quinoa
Place the dried quinoa in a small bowl and cover with warm water. Add a tablespoon of something acidic like lemon juice, or, tablespoon of yogurt or buttermilk and let it stand on the counter 8 hours or overnight. When ready to cook the quinoa, first prewash it by emptying the quinoa into a fine-meshed strainer. Run it under cold water for several minutes while rubbing the quinoa between your fingers. Drain. Place in medium pot with a cup and a half of water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 17 minutes, until the water is gone. Turn off the heat and place a lid on the pot for 5 minutes.
Whisk the dressing
Whisk the vinegar, salt, pepper, mustard and honey in a small bowl. Add the oil and whisk until creamy.
Toss the salad
Turn out the cooked quinoa to a plate. Add the chopped vegetables and a chopped fresh herb like parsley, mint or basil. Drizzle the dressing over the top and toss. Serve immediately or cool to room temperature, cover and chill for later.
