Quick and Yummy Quinoa Salad

I first discovered this recipe in Laurie David’s book The Family Cooks, which is a great cookbook! (And published by Rodale, by the way.) As Laurie predicts in her book, my whole family loved it.

This recipe is to me the epitome of “clean food,” in that you just feel really healthy and light after eating it! However, like almost all dishes, I had to modify it for my family: First, the original recipe made too much for us, so I cut the quantities down, and second, it included ingredients like dried fruit, which I just don’t care for much in a salad, though I know many people do. The point is the recipe is a good basic start for everyone; feel free to personalize it to your own tastes.

It’s also important to note that I found this salad utterly delicious the first day and bland the second…so I would say just make what you can eat fresh right away and don’t plan on leftovers.

Yummy and Quick Quinoa Salad

Ingredients:

Salad:

• ½ cup quinoa, rinsed
• ¼ cup sunflower seeds
• ¼ cup chopped parsley
• 1 celery stalk, chopped
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 3 kale leaves, washed and sliced thin

Dressing:

• 3 Tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 3 Tablespoons olive oil
• ½ teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Cook the quinoa according to package (generally, in a big pot of boiling water for about 10 minutes). Let cool.
2. Chop the parsley, celery, and carrots.
3. Prepare the dressing by mixing all of its ingredients together.
4. Add everything to a bowl and toss.

Variations on this are endless. Add fresh fruit, dried fruit, nuts, vegetables—whatever!

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