Your search for the ultimate salad is over. This one it’s… the one that has all the fancy pants elements you love and crave in a single, extraordinary bowl of goodness. It’s a chop-and-throw situation, packed with wonderful nourishing and moisturizing ingredients that will spoil your taste buds. It is one of those recipes that will amaze the public at parties, picnics, barbecues and endless summer parties.
A few notes on this recipe:
• Herbs: you can replace parsley or coriander with mint or basil.
• Vegetables: You can add chopped bell pepper, corn, red onion, anything is allowed. You can even add chickpeas.
• Quinoa: any color works! You can use 3 cups of leftover cooked quinoa, with any seasoning. You can also swap 3 cups of cooked farro for the quinoa. For foolproof fluffy quinoa, bring one part quinoa to two parts water (or stock), reduce the heat and cook for about 10-15 minutes or until all the liquid has been absorbed. Remove from heat, cover and let the quinoa steam for about 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork and voilà, perfectly fluffy and fluffy quinoa!
• Cheese: You can use feta if you prefer. Or omit it altogether for a vegan dish.
• Dressing: I recommend tasting after you’ve mixed everything with the dressing and added extra lemon juice, salt and pepper to suit your personal preference. You can replace apple cider vinegar with red wine vinegar if you wish and add lemon zest to make the lemon flavor more potent.
- Preparation time 5 minutes
- Total time 15 minutes
This recipe makes ~6 servings
- † 1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
- † 2 cups broth
- † 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- † 4 tablespoons lemon juice, more to taste
- † 1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar
- † 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- † 1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
- † English cucumber, sliced
- † cup peeled pistachios
- † cup of shaved Parmesan cheese
- † 2 hands arugula
- † 1 cup basil leaves, roughly chopped
- † 1 cup mint leaves, roughly chopped
Add the quinoa and stock to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 to 13 minutes until stock is absorbed. Once the stock has been absorbed, cover with a lid and let the heat simmer for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork and store in the refrigerator to cool slightly. You will have about 3 full cups of quinoa.
In a large salad bowl, add the olive oil, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, and salt. Beat until well combined. Add the tomatoes, cucumbers, cooled quinoa and pistachios. Mix everything together.
Just before serving, stir in the arugula, basil, mint, and Parmesan cheese. taste and season with additional lemon juice, salt and ground black pepper.
Try this Superfood Salad!
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