Quinoa salads rank high on my list of go-to meals because they are simple to make, easy to customize, plus they offer a great way to load up on veggies and protein! I especially enjoy them because I can easily produce a big batch of salad to use for my work-week lunches.

Eating quinoa is a great way to super charge your diet since it is a complete protein. This means it contains all the essential amino acids, and it’s rich in vitamins and minerals. You can use quinoa in breakfast bowls, stir-fry’s and of course, salads. While this quinoa salad uses quinoa as the base, you could also add some quinoa to green salads for an extra protein boost.

Hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 cups of water
1 cup of quinoa (rinsed)
1 large or 2-3 small finely diced zucchini
1 finely diced red pepper
1 finely diced yellow pepper
1/3 cup sunflower seeds (raw, unsalted)
1/3 cup raisins
2 tbsp minced fresh parsley
1 tbsp minced fresh cilantro
Diced avocado
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (about 1-2 lemons)
¼ olive oil
1 tsp minced fresh garlic
½ tsp sea salt
Pinch of cayenne pepper, ground cumin and ground turmeric

Recipe:

To cook quinoa: add 2 cups of water and 1 cup of quinoa is a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer and cover for 20 minutes. Fluff with a fork and allow to cool.
Mix diced zucchini, peppers, cilantro, parsley, sunflower seeds and raisins in a large bowl. Add the cooked quinoa (once it has cooled).
Whisk the lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, salt, cayenne, cumin and turmeric in a small bowl. Pour the dressing over the salad ingredients and toss until evenly distributed.
Enjoy with diced avocado (about ¼ avocado with each serving)

Recipe adapted from: Green, P., Hemming, C. (2010). Quinoa 365: the everyday superfood. Whitecap books; British Columbia.