When in the mood for a light lunch try this refreshing red quinoa salad.
After that lasagna recipe, I thought it was time to share something lighter and more refreshing. It’s gotten really warm around here and so I’ve been thinking of salads a lot more and enjoying them a lot more too. And with the modest garden I’ve planted, I really want to make more recipes that call for a lot of herbs.
Thinking of what to make I turned to Yotam for inspiration. I am a big fan of his work and his cookbooks will make your mouth water more than any other out there, in my humble opinion. My eyes got stuck on a red quinoa salad from Plenty More, the mention of parsley and lemon was enough for me to give it a try.
Really, is there anything more refreshing than herbs and lemon combined? I wish I could mix that into everything. Rok, for example, loves Tabasco and puts that on anything he can, I on the other hand am a sucker for lemon (or other citrus fruit). Citrus in my drink, my cake, my salad dressing or pasta; citrus fruit everywhere! And if your mouth is watering as you read about my love for lemons, that is completely normal; thinking of lemons has that effect on people.
I adapted Yotam’s recipe slightly and added peas, because I love peas and think they make a great addition to this type of salad. That is a salad you can eat with a spoon. They’re similar to beans, but add that pop of color and a new layer of flavor.
This red quinoa salad is both vegan and gluten free, it’s light and refreshing yet won’t leave you hungry. It smells absolutely divine because of the lemon, parsley and chopped mint. And my favorite thing about this salad, besides the fact that it’s literally made in no time, is that it tastes great the next day too. Rok used the leftovers in a cheese sandwich and swears it’s the best thing ever.
Refreshing red quinoa salad with peas, beans and herbs
Serves 2 comfortably, or up to 4 people as a side.
- Prep Time: 5 min
- Cook Time: 15 min
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 2 - 4 servings 1x
- Category: Salads, Sides
Ingredients
- 75g (1/4 cup + 2 TBSPs) red quinoa
- 15g (0.5 oz) parsley, finely chopped
- 15g (0.5 oz) mint, finely chopped
- 30g (1 oz) spring onion, finely chopped (about 1 spring onion)
- 130g (1 cup or 4.5 oz) cooked cannellini beans
- 100g (2/3 cup or 3.5 oz) cooked peas
- 1 medium lemon, peeled, flesh finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil. Add the quinoa and cook for 11 minutes.
- Drain quinoa in a fine sieve, rinse with cold water and set aside, so it dries a little.
- Once the quinoa is finely drained transfer it to a large plate or bowl, add the remaining ingredients and stir.
- Season with salt and pepper, according to your taste, and serve.
Notes
Store leftover salad in an airtight container in the fridge.
You can use canned beans (rinsed under water) and frozen peas (cooked until tender).
Red quinoa gives this salad a lovely color, but use regular white quinoa (which needs about 2 minutes less cooking) if that is what you have on hand. They taste the same.
Adapted from Plenty More by Yotam Ottolenghi.
Keywords: vegan, quick,
