Quinoa Salad Two Ways

I love quinoa salads because you can put anything you like in them, and they are always delicious. Here are two recipes that are similar but different, each borne out of what was in the fridge at the time. Feel free to substitute any of the roast vegetables for what you like (or what you have in your fridge). You can also add any nuts, seeds and/or fresh herbs.

Quinoa with Cauliflower, Pumpkin and Beans

½ head of cauliflower

½ pumpkin (jap or butternut), cut into small (approx 2cm) cubes



1 cup quinoa (I use the tricolour but any colour is fine)

½ cup toasted slivered almonds


½  pomegranate seeds


Handful yellow beans blanched and topped


Handful green beans blanched and topped


1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

¼ bunch parsley, shredded

zest of one lime

dressing


juice of one lime

1 tspn honey


¼ cup olive oil


1 tbspn white wine vinegar

½ tspn salt flakes

Cook quinoa as per pack, but use chicken or vegetable stock for extra flavour. Steam cauliflower for about 5 minutes (til just tender) then cut into small florets.

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Spray cauliflower and pumpkin with olive oil and roast in oven for approx 25 min or until browned.

In a large serving bowl combine cooked quinoa, roasted pumpkin and cauliflower, beans, almonds, chickpeas, pomegranate, parsley and zest.

In a small mixing bowl combine lime juice, olive oil, honey, white wine vinegar and salt and whisk together. Pour dressing over salad, mix together thoroughly and serve.

Quinoa and Roast Vegetable Salad

In this instance I have used eggplant, cauliflower, pumpkin and carrots as my roast vegetable, but on other occasions I have also included or substituted fennel, red pepper, butternut pumpkin, zucchini or sweet potato. You could also use steamed broccoli or broccolini in place of or in addition to the beans.

1 cup of quinoa (I use the tricolour one)

1 eggplant, cut in cubes

½ head cauliflower, cut in florets

¼ jap pumpkin, cut in cubes

6 dutch carrots (or 2 carrots)

handful green beans, steamed

½ cup parsley chopped

¼ cup sunflower seeds, toasted

¼ cup pumpkin seeds, toasted

zest of one lemon

1 large handful of baby spinach leaves

dressing

juice of ½ lemon

¼ cup olive oil

1 tspn maple syrup

1 tbspn white wine vinegar

1 tspn balsamic vinegar

½ tspn sugar

Cook quinoa in vegetable stock according to directions. Place in a flat bowl to cool, stirring occasionally. Salt eggplant and stand for 30 mins. Drain and pat dry with paper towels. Drizzle eggplant with oil and toss in a baking dish. Combine pumpkin, cauliflower and carrots in baking dish (or dishes – don’t crowd because otherwise they will steam instead of bake), drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Roast at 200 degrees for 25 mins, shake pan and roast for another 10 mins or until golden.

Combine, quinoa, roast veg, beans, parsley, spinach,  seeds and zest. Pour over dressing and stir to combine.