Delicious Quinoa Salad

I have to be honest, when I first tried quinoa I hated it! I really did until my mother made a quinoa salad once for dinner and I surprisingly I found it delicious. My mother’s version is healthy but not healthy enough for me to reach my health and fitness goals so I came up with my own version of a quinoa salad and swapped some ingredients with healthier choices. It’s very simple, using delicious fresh ingredients.

Delicious Quinoa Salad

All you need is:

• 1 cup quinoa (rinsed)
• 1 cup (or more if you like) kale
• 1/4 cup goji berries
• 1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds
• 2 ounces of goat cheese
• 1/2-1 cup of shredded carrots
• 1/2 red onion
• About 1/4 cup of unpasteurized apple cider vinegar
• About 1/4 cup of olive oil
• Salt and pepper

Directions 

• Bring 2 cups of water to a boil
• Add rinsed quinoa
• Bring back to a boil then lower heat to a simmer and cover pot
• Let it cook for about 15 minutes
• Turn off heat and leave covered for a few minutes until the quinoa absorbed most of the water
• Let it cool
• Once cooled (it could be a little warm so the goat cheese can melt) add the rest of the ingredients and mix
• Season to taste
• You can serve it right away but I prefer to let all the flavours marry and the goji berries to plump up
• The goat cheese adds such creaminess and the pumpkin seeds add that delicious crunch

This recipe makes about four 1 cup servings but trust me, if you didn’t like quinoa before tasting this salad, you won’t want to share it! 🙂

Tania