Warm Quinoa Salad

 

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Quinoa is on weekly rotation in our family’s meals. Some of our favourite ways we have quinoa is combining it with rice when making avocado rolls, or simply steamed combined with other grains, or in a spiced biryani style dish with paneer.

This quinoa dish is with a trio of vegetables- carrots, celery and zucchini. My little guy likes cranberries with it, and adding this makes for a festive side dish during Christmas or Thanksgiving. Add a little protein with some nuts and seeds to create a balanced light meal for dinner.

This dish is delightful and balancing with some digestive spices to gently stoke your digestive fire. Spices not only add flavour to your dishes, but have therapeutic value, as viewed in Ayurveda, supporting metabolism, absorption and assimilation of nutrients in the body.

 

Warm Quinoa Salad

Servings: 2
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes

INGREDIENTS

½ cup quinoa, rinsed
⅔ cup water
1 tsp ghee or olive oil for cooking
½ tsp ground fennel
½ tsp ground coriander
1 Tablespoon fresh rosemary or thyme
⅛ tsp black pepper
1 medium size carrot in cubes
1 celery stalk in cubes
1 small zucchini in cubes

Salt to taste

directions

  1. Cook quinoa in a medium size pot on high and boil for a about 5 minutes.

  2. Turn off heat, cover with a lid and let steam for 10–15 minutes.

  3. While quinoa is cooking, heat a medium size frying pan heat ghee or olive oil and spices until aroma is released.

  4. Cook carrots first, and when halfway cooking add celery and zucchini. Combine all together, cover with a lid and cook for another 5 minutes.

  5. Add vegetables to the quinoa and combine all together.

  6. Finish off with a few drizzles of olive oil and fresh lime juice.

    Salt to taste and garnish with cilantro.

Options

  1. Add dried fruit like cranberries or raisins, and/or pan toasted nuts and seeds in Step 5. Adding a sweet taste, or nuts and seeds or simply olive oil will balance out the astringent taste of quinoa.

  2. Use coconut oil instead of olive oil. Caution if you have digestive issues with prolonged use of coconut oil, as it is a heavy oil to digest. Ideally, coconut oil is best consumed during summer time.

Enjoy!

Nutrient & Ayurveda Profile of Quinoa

  • a versatile, highly nutritious “superfood” that can be cooked as is with water, flattened into flakes, puffed, or made into flour for bread and pasta

  • gluten-free and actually a seed, like buckwheat and amaranth

  • referred to as the “golden grain” for its resistance to cold, salt, and drought

  • excellent source of protein and rich in complex carbohydrates, fibre

  • high in calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, copper and zinc - black and red quinoa has a higher iron content

  • quinoa has an astringent taste, which can be balanced with some olive oil and lime or lemon juice

Reference

Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.)

Vaidya R. K. Mishra- Notes from Shaka Vansiya Ayurveda Courses, Practicum, Conferences and Lectures 2003-2015

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