Quinoa, wild rice and vegetable salad

Servings

4

 

Equipment

 

Large bowl for mixing it all in.

Rice cooker (optional but really useful)

Small glass jar with lid for the dressing

Ready In:

25min

Ingredients

Method

  • Vegetables
    • spring onion, 1-2 medium
    • capsicum, 1/2 medium
    • tomatoes, 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes
    • cucumber, half medium
    • snow peas, large handful
    • kale, 1 leaf (raw)
    • coriander or parsley leaves, large handful (optional: one or the other, not both)

    Protein

    • frozen edamame (soy) beans, 1 cup
    • chia seeds, 2 Tablespoons
    • sunflower seeds, 4 Tablespoons/1/3 cup

    Fats

    • olive oil, 2 Tablespoons
    • avocado, one medium

    Carbs

    • quinoa, 1/2 cup
    • wild rice, 1/2 cup
    • cranberries, 1/4 cup

    Extra flavours

    • salt and black pepper, to taste
    • chilli – fresh or dried flakes
    • Dijon mustard, 1 teaspoon
    • balsamic vinegar, 2 Tablespoons
    • lemon juice, third of a lemon (1 Tablespoon or so)

Combine the quinoa and wild rice and rinse well. Cook in a rice cooker until done – about 20-25 minutes.

Put the edamame beans in a heat proof bowl and cover them with boiling water for five minutes. Drain.

While quinoa/rice is cooking, make the dressing. In a small jar, combine olive oil, balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard and salt and pepper. Shake well. (Avoid ‘balsamic glaze’, it has too much sugar.)

Now chop the vegetables and the avocado, fairly small – about 1 cm pieces. Place all in a large bowl and sprinkle with the lemon juice. And some salt and pepper and the chilli, the cranberries and sunflower and chia seeds, and fold it together gently (so the avocado doesn’t end up mashed).

When the quinoa/rice is cooked, pour 1/3 cup of dressing over it while still warm, and stir through. Pour out onto a large plate to allow to cool a little. (Handy if you already have some cooked in the fridge or freezer.)

Now gently combine all ingredients in the large bowl. Add a little more dressing to taste, then serve.

Hot tips

This is salad making, not cake-baking, so there are really no rules for quantities of different vegetables, types of vegetables, herbs or spices. Follow the recipe a couple of times, then adapt to your taste.

Cook quinoa and wild rice ahead of time and store in two-cup servings in zip lock bags in the freezer. You don’t even need to defrost it, as it will thaw while you stir it through other ingredients.

Make a large batch of the dressing and use it on pretty much anything.

If you don’t have edamame beans, substitute with drained canned black beans.

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