Quinoa Summer Salad
I have a love hate-relationship with summer. The sun is shining and patio drink season is thriving, but I always feel like Bikini season comes at the time of year when I’m eating the worst. Whether it’s outdoor get togethers at restaurants or poolside drinks with the girls, I feel like summer is the most snack heavy time of year. So to cool off and make sure my diet doesn’t just consist of sangria and cheetos, I like to make a refreshing Quinoa salad. This recipe is gluten friendly and it taste great!
Ingredients
- Qunioa
- Cucumbers
- tomatoes
- kale
- spinach salad
- avacado
- basil
- pepper
- goat cheese or feta (your choice)
- Dressing: lemon, olive oil, balsamic vinegar
Prep time: 15-20 mins
Steps:
1. Depending on how much quinoa you want to use put water on to boil as you would for rice. I usually just do a whole box and use the leftovers for a week. There are hundreds of different kinds of quinoa, from classic to herb and garlic, basically you can use whatever kind you like best.
2. Once the water has come to a boil add the Quinoa, turn the temperature down low, put the lid on and let the quinoa simmer for about 5-10 mins, you’ll know when the water is fully absorbed.
3. You can eat the quinoa warm if you wish, but in a salad I like to eat it cold so I put it in the fridge while I prep the salad.
4. You can really use whatever veggies you like for your salad, I like to stick to my basics of tomatoes, cucumbers, kale, avocado and cheese. For this recipe I used a goat cheese.
5. Add the vegetables to the salad of your choosing, I decided to be healthy and opt for a spinach salad.
6. Once the Quinoa is cold enough for your liking add it to the salad and give it a good stir
7. Add whichever dressing you choose, for this recipe again to cut calories I used a home-made dressing of balsamic vinegar, one tsp of olive oil, lemon, and then just added pepper and basil for flavour.
Pour yourself a glass of lemonade and ENJOY. So refreshing on a hot day and healthy too YUS!