Quinoa Salad

The inspiration for this Quinoa Salad recipe all started with some fresh from my mom’s garden banana peppers. One of my favorite peppers, with a tangy, slight spice, without a stinging heat. What better accompaniment, than to add to a hearty and healthy Quinoa Salad. This nourishing salad has a high amount of plant protein packed in, with the quinoa and the hearts of palm, you’ll get a whooping 10 grams per cup serving (adequate for a meal on its own.) With the added nutrients from the veggies, and cranberries, you’ve got a complete, easy to make meal.

Let’s begin!

Ingredients:

Quinoa Salad Ingredients:

• 1 cup quinoa grains
• 6–8 cups water
• 3–4 chopped hearts of palm
• 3–4 banana peppers
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 green bell pepper
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup Italian dressing

Chop all the vegetables up, place in a bowl and set aside.

In a medium sauce pot, bring 6-8 cups of water to a boil, the add 1 cup quinoa, stir and reduce heat.Continue to low boil until desired texture. (12 minutes for al-dente or 14 minutes for a softer texture.)

After your quinoa is finished cooking to desired texture, remove from heat and use a fine mesh strainer to drain and rinse quinoa.

Add rinsed quinoa to a large bowl, then add dried cranberries.

Add chopped vegetables and dressing and stir until well blended.It’s as easy as that! Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Like I referenced before, it is a great stand alone, complete meal, but also would be fantastic alongside fish or chicken.