Resources: Recipes
Summer Quinoa Salad with Spinach & Cherries
from The Whole Chef, with some of my favorite additions
Ingredients
2 cups quinoa (washed & drained)
2 cups fresh spinach, chopped
1/4 cup roasted almonds, sliced or chopped
1/2 cup dried craisins or cranberries or any dried fruit
1 cup cucumber, diced
1 red pepper, diced
1 yellow pepper, diced
2 or 3 carrots, chopped
1/2 cup black beans
2–3 Tbsp chopped, fresh cilantro
2–3 Tbsp chopped, fresh basil
1/2 Tbsp sesame, peanut,
or canola oil; or ghee (clarified butter)
Sea salt (optional)
Fresh ground pepper (optional)
Vinaigrette
1/3 cup olive oil
3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
Directions
Sauté vegetables: sauté carrots, red peppers and yellow peppers in about 1/2 Tbsp of oil or ghee until cooked but not mushy.
Cook quinoa: bring 4 cups of water to boil. Add quinoa and reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer 10–15 minutes, until water is absorbed. Remove from heat and cool in covered pan. Drain liquid if any is left in the pan.
Combine and toss: combine quinoa and other salad ingredients, except cilantro and basil, in a large bowl and toss. Split salad in half and add half of the cilantro and basil. Add remaining quinoa and toss with the other half of the herbs.
Prepare vinaigrette: whisk all vinaigrette ingredients
except salt and pepper in a bowl. Add vinaigrette to tossed salad and coat
(you may want to split it in half again to coat the entire salad). If desired,
add salt and pepper
to taste.
