The Magical Quinoa Festival Salad is full of goodness and an excellent meal for night one. Nourishing and wholesome, it can give you all the energy you need to dance the night away!
Quinoa (Chenopodiaceae / Amaranthaceae) is an endemic plant of the Andean Countries of South America. It has been cultivated for millennia by many cultures, including the Quechua, Aztec, Inca, and Amara peoples. Commonly referred to as a Grain, Quinoa is actually a pseudo seed, which means it’s a seed that is cooked like a grain. This nutrient-packed seed is high in fiber, protein, heathy fats and is also rich in magnesium, which has many benefits to our bodies.
Super Easy to prepare, Quinoa can be eaten on it’s own, as a substitute for rice dishes, or as a delicious salad.
Magical Quinoa Base
1 Cup Kiwi Quinoa
Dash of Olive Oil
1 Cube Rapunzel Vegetable Bullion ( with or with out herbs )
2 ¼ Cups Water
Delicious Salad Ingredients
2 – 3 Juicy Lemons (Set aside half a Lemon is for wiping and squeezing juice into the salad bowl)
2 – 4 cloves finely chopped Garlic (Set aside at least 1 Garlic Clove for wiping and crushing into the salad bowl)
2 tsp grated Ginger
½ – 1 cup Sunflower Seeds
½ Cup Pine nuts
1 Red Onion
1 Capsicum
1 Cup Grated Beetroot
1 Cup Grated Carrot
1 – 1 ½ Fresh Parsley
½ cup Chia Seeds
½ cup Chopped Dried Cranberries
Salt and Pepper.
Elements For A Divine Dressing
¼ Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
¼ Cup Lemon Juice
¼ Cup Orange Juice
½ – 1 Cup of Goji Berries
1 tsp Honey or Maple Syrup
1 tsp Dijon Mustard
Olive Oil
Method To Magic
Place 1 Cup of Quinoa into a pot with a splash of Olive Oil and 1 Rapunzel Vegetable Bullion Cube. Crush the Cube, Mix well, then pour about 2 ¼ cups of water into the pot. ( The water should sit about 1.5 – 2 cm above the Quinoa Mix.)
Bring the water to a boil then turn the temperature down to a low to medium heat and simmer for about 20 – 25 minutes or until absorbed. Gently stir the Quinoa to ensure there is very little or no water. Remove from heat and leave to cool with the lid on.
Spicy Seed & Nut Mix – Smells So Good!
Chop the Garlic, Ginger until almost minced. Set aside. Place the Sunflower Seeds and Pine nuts into a hot pan and fry on a medium – high heat for about until you can just smell the seeds and nuts cooking. (note: It’s important not to take your eyes off this process, as the seeds and pine nuts will cook quickly.)
Add a Pinch of Chilli powder or spices like Cumin, Coriander or Smoked Paprika (if you wish to) Add the Garlic and Ginger. Stir everything together and turn the heat down.
You will not need oil because the Pine nuts and Sunflower Seeds release there own oil once heated.
When the mix is heated and aromatic, place everything in a bowl season with Pepper and Salt. Mix well and set aside.
Lemon Squeezy
Squeeze the juice of ½ a Juicy Lemon into a large salad bowl and wipe the entire inner surface with the squeezed half. Crush and wipe the inside of the bowl with a clove of garlic. Roughly dice the rind of some on the lemon and garlic clove very finely and mix into the lemon juice inside the bowl.
Cover and set the bowl aside while you prepare all the fresh ingredients.
Come Together As One
Dice the Red Onion and Red Capsicum then grate the Carrots and Beetroot and place it all into the salad bowl with the lemon juice and garlic. Mix well so all the vegetables are covered with the Lemon and Garlic mix.
Finely chop the Parsley ( or any other herbs you can think of ) and Dried Cranberries, then gently stir into the salad bowl along with the Chia Seeds, Spicy Seed & Nut Mix and Chilled Quinoa. Set aside.
Dress Me Up!
For the dressing, I like to play around with different flavours, but the one I am sharing with you here is one of my favourites. There is so much Divine Goodness with all the ingredients in this dressing – Apple Cider Vinegar, Lemon Juice, Orange Juice, Olive Oil, Honey, and Goji Berries!
Soak the Goji Berries in a mix of Lemon Juice and Orange Juice before you start making the salad so the dried berries soften and take on a tangy flavour. (Don’t stress if you haven’t done this before hand. It will still taste amazing.)
In a small bowl add about ¼ a cup of Apple Cider Vinegar, Mustard and Honey mix well until fully incorporated. Then add the Goji Berry mix and enough Olive Oil until the mixture has a balanced looking consistency. -You may need to add more Lemon or Orange Juice – Season to taste.
This Magical Quinoa Festival Salad will serve 4 – 6 people, and can be left in the fridge over night.
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