Quinoa Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette
-Serves 2
The secret to a good quinoa salad is to cook it right and in the right medium. Although, I almost always cook my quinoa in chicken stock, a good vegetable broth works equally well. Next, simply add a few different flavors and textures - seasonal cherry tomatoes, crunchy cucumbers, mint, pomegranate and toasted macadamia nuts - delish!
Ingredients for Quinoa Salad with lemon vinaigrette
Quinoa:
1 cup quinoa
1.25 cups chicken or vegetable stock for rice cooker (or 1.5 cups stock if using a saucepan)
1 bay leaf
Salad:
1 cucumber, seeded and chopped into cubes
10 sweet cherry tomatoes, halved
3 tablespoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup fresh coriander or mint, chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cracked pepper
1 tablespoon honey
1/4 cup chopped roasted macadamia nuts, for garnish
1/4 cup pomegranate pearls, for garnish
Recipes
Quinoa:
1. Rinse quinoa well, add stock, bay leaf and cook it just like rice either in a saucepan or in a rice cooker.
2. Once cooked, stir to fluff it up and place in a plate to cool it down.
Salad:
3. Place cucumber, tomatoes and quinoa in a large bowl. Whisk together lemon juice, olive oil, coriander/mint leaves, salt, pepper, and honey to make salad dressing.
4. Pour salad dressing over quinoa, carrots and tomatoes, stir well, garnish with macadamia nuts and pomegranate, and serve. (Pour dressing just before serving)