Summer Quinoa Salad, Two Ways

In the summer, I love to make salads made from quinoa mixed with a flavorful herbal green sauce.  To this I will add seasonal veggies, olives or artichoke hearts, and sometimes a sprinkling of feta cheese or pumpkin seeds for more protein.  Quinoa itself is one of the more protein-rich grains (though to be accurate, quinoa is actually considered a "pseudo-grain"). Quinoa is also gluten-free, and in Chinese Medicine nutritional theory it is considered to be slightly tonifying to kidney yang, thus strengthening the body's overall vitality.  

On warmer summer days when I want to eat something that is both nourishing and light, quinoa salad really hit the spot.  I make my quinoa salad using one of two different green sauces: either classic basil pesto or a cilantro/parsley Moroccan green sauce (known as Chermoula).  Aside form being insanely delicious, both of these sauces use dark leafy green herbs that are healing and slightly cleansing to the body; they also include garlic which is an important herb for cardiovascular as well as immune health.  Add to this salad some fresh, seasonal veggies and some nuts or seeds (or feta if you tolerate dairy) and you have a delicious, light summer meal or side dish.

​How to Make A Summer Quinoa Salad

Step One: Make the Quinoa
Using a fine mesh strainer, rinse 2 cups of quinoa in cool water thoroughly (this rinses off the saponins that can make it taste bitter). 

Bring 4 cups of water to boil in a pot and add the rinsed quinoa. 

Turn heat down and cook on lowest setting, covered, for 15 minutes.

Turn off heat and let sit covered for five minutes. Fluff with a fork and let cool before adding the green sauce..

Step Two: Add Green Sauce
Once the quinoa has cooled to room temperature, stir in one of the following green sauce recipes:

Laura's Amazing Moroccan Green Sauce (Chermoula) 
Based on a recipe from my friend Laura, this also makes an incredible dip for veggies or a topping for fish or chicken.

In a food processor, blend the following ingredients:

1 bunches of cilantro, rinsed well, dried with a clean towel, and roughly chopped
1 bunch of parsley, rinsed well, dried with a clean towel, and roughly chopped
1-2 cloves minced garlic
¾ cup walnuts
Juice from 2 lemons
​¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp whole cumin seeds, toasted lightly (if in a hurry ground cumin works fine too)
½ tsp sea salt
pinch of cayenne 

Heavenly Pesto Sauce
The smell of fresh basil is quite possibly one of my favorite scents of all time; it is uplifting and joyful, and sings of summertime; I can't make enough pesto in the summer time!

​In a food processor, blend the following ingredients:

​1 bunch of fresh basil leaves, rinsed and dried
1 clove minced garlic
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup pine nuts (or walnuts)
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese (omit of avoiding dairy)


Step Three: add veggies and additional ingredients
After you've stirred one of the above green sauces into your cooled  quinoa, it's now time to add whatever fresh veggies and toppings you prefer.  Chop the veggies into bite size pieces and add as much as you desire to the salad (more is always better when it comes to veggies!).  Find the flavors and combinations that appeal most to you.  Some suggestions include: bell peppers, avocados, tomatoes, cucumbers, jicama, kalamata olives, marinated artichoke hearts.  Chopped feta cheese, walnuts, pine nuts, or pumpkin seeds make nice additions, and they add some protein.