Crispy Quinoa Salad
You can leave this to stand for a few hours to really develop all the flavours
Makes enough for: 4 people
Ingredients
for the quinoa:
- 500 mls water
- 195 g quinoa
- 5 mls fine salt
for the pico de gallo:
- 10 mls olive oil (only if you are cooking the onion)
- 1 red onion, peeled, cut in half and finely chopped *
- 20 g fresh coriander, chopped
- 4 roma tomatoes, quartered, deseeded and diced
- 2 jalapeño chillies, cut in half, trimmed, deseeded and finely chopped
- 20 mls canola oil
- 2 limes, juice only
- 0.625 mls fine salt
for the salad:
- 30 mls olive oil
- 10 mls fine salt
- 250 mls pico de gallo **
- 240 g tinned red kidney beans, drained weight
- 1 ear corn, grilled and kernels removed
- 1 avocado, peeled, pip removed, and cut into chunks
for the dressing:
- 125 mls freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 60 mls water
- 55 g honey
- 10 mls Japanese 7 spice blend
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
- 10 g fresh coriander, chopped
- salt to season
Method
for the quinoa:
- Place the water, quinoa and salt into a saucepan and bring to the boil over a high temperature
- Place the lid on the pan, turn off the heat and leave to steam until cooked
for the pico de gallo:
- Place the oil into a small, non stick frying pan and heat over a medium temperature
- Add the onions, reduce the temperature and cook until soft
- Tip into a bowl with the coriander, tomatoes and jalapeños
- Add the oil, lime juice and salt and stir to combine
- Check for seasoning and set aside
for the salad:
- Preheat the oven to 190° Celsius
- Add the olive oil and salt to the cooked quinoa and stir to coat the quinoa
- Tip out onto a lined baking tray and spread evenly
- Place into the oven and bake for 35 minutes, stirring the quinoa every 10 minutes
- Remove from the oven and set aside to cool while you make the dressing
for the dressing:
- Place the lemon juice, water, honey, spice blend and garlic into a small bowl and whisk to combine
- Add the coriander and salt, mix and adjust the seasoning if necessary
putting it all together:
- Place the quinoa in a serving bowl and add the pico de gallo, beans and corn
- Pour in the salad dressing and stir to combine
- Add the avocado and gently mix in
- Serve straight away or keep covered in the fridge until needed
Notes
* you can leave this raw, or 'pickle' in the lime juice, if you prefer
** use the rest of the pico de gallo for tacos or refrigerate to use for cooking
** use the rest of the pico de gallo for tacos or refrigerate to use for cooking