Sunshine quinoa salad
Classified by the United Nations as a supercrop, quinoa can play an important role in our vegan diet. Quinoa contains a balanced set of essential amino acids, is a good source of dietary fiber and phosphorus and is high in magnesium and iron.
This salad is an adaptation of a recipe that was on fatfree.com. Submitted in 1999 by joy’s diner.
Serving Size: 4
Ingredients:
- 3 oranges, peeled, segmented, and cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 cup baby carrots, sliced thin
- 2 cups cooked quinoa
- 1/4 cup salad dressing
- 3 tbs. fresh lime juice
- 1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped
- lettuce leaves
for the dressing:
- 2 tbs. olive oil
- 3 tbs. orange juice
- 2 tsp. grainy mustard
- 1 tbs. corn syrup or maple syrup
Directions:
- Wash the quinoa in a sieve using cold water. Wash it well, as during storage it gets an oily coating which tastes bitter.
- Put the washed quinoa in a small pan. Cover with water and cook until soft, about 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, peel and finely slice the baby carrots.
- Chop the mint and make the salad dressing.
- When the quinoa is cooked, drain and place in a serving bow.
- Put the quinoa in the refrigerator to cool down.
- After 10 minutes- half an hour the quinoa is cool and you can add all the ingredients together.
- Mix well and return to the refrigerator to season.
- Serve the salad on a bed of lettuce, or alternatively in orange cups with a garnish of mint leaves.
Notes:
You could also use canned mandarin oranges as an alternative. They are milder than the fresh oranges but quicker when short of time.