It’s official: Spring is here and it feels oh-so-gooood!! The weather has been delightful this past week in Vancouver and though more rain is coming our way in the next few days.. it is safe to say that Spring has indeed sprung. It’s that time of the year again and we are all loving it! Birds are chirping, sun is shining, flowers are blooming, insects are crawling out and I have started to crave big salad bowls all over again :). Every year, as the season changes, I can sense my cravings change as well. Now that it’s getting warmer outside, my body has been craving more raw foods, fruits, vegetables, smoothies, frozen treats and yes, you guessed it: salads! So today, as my first Spring post, I am sharing with you all one of my all-time favorite salad recipes. This Quinoa Spring Salad is so refreshing, nourishing, delicious and super easy to make and customize to your own liking.
The star of today’s salad is definitely quinoa. For those of you still unfamiliar with with gluten-free grain, here is a little bit of information about this superfood:
Health Benefits of Quinoa:
Quinoa is one of my favourite gluten-free grains as it is rich in fibers and is a great source of complete protein. Indeed, it contains all 9 essential amino acids that your body needs to properly function. Quinoa is also a great source of plant-based iron, vitamin B2 (excellent for energy metabolism), and magnesium (great to help you relax, promotes healthy blood circulation and excellent to reduce the occurrence of migraines). Another reason why this grain has become so popular is because it is very versatile. You can it sweet when cooked as a breakfast porridge or salty when prepared for salads or a healthy side to your meals.
Let me show you one of my favourite ways of eating this grain.
Quinoa Spring Salad
Ingredients:
- 1 cup of cooked quinoa (tightly packed)
- 1 cup of leafy greens (baby spinach, kale, … get creative!)
- 1 cup of cherry tomatoes, chopped
- 1/4 cup of olives (I like to use kalamata olives for this recipe)
- 1 cucumber, diced or sliced
- 1 cup of loosely packed fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped or shredded
- 1 to 1/2 avocado, cut in small chunks
- sea salt & pepper to taste
- Sprinkle of red hot chili flakes (Feel free to omit this if you don’t like it too hot)
- Optional: 1-2 Tbsp of sunflower seeds (for extra crunch)
- Other additions: capers, sundried tomatoes, hard-boiled eggs,… Whatever pleases you ;).
Ingredients for the vinaigrette:
Keep it really simple.
- 3 Tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 garlic clove, finely minced or crushed
- 2 Tbsp of fresh lemon juice or Apple Cider Vinegar
- Sea salt & pepper to taste
- Optional: drizzle of tamari sauce.
How to:
Place all the salad ingredients into a large bowl. Mix your vinaigrette ingredients separately, then pour over your salad, mix thoroughly and dig in!
I hope you will enjoy this salad recipe as much as I do. Remember the key to enjoying salads is to make them fun and interesting, so play around with the ingredients and don’t be afraid to try new combinations ;).
Bon appétit.
– Sarah
