Quinoa Veggie Salad
This quinoa veggie salad is perfectly light and delicious for summer cooking! Culikids made it as a side for our July picnic on Governors Island, and it was a big hit! We let everyone create their own before mixing it together so each kid (and adult) could avoid things they don’t like and add extras of the things they do like, making it all the more likely that they would finish it. The recipe is completely adaptable so feel free to add other veggies you and your kids like and omit the ones you don’t. Maybe adding crumbled cheese will make them more like to want to finish their vegetables. And, if you want to make it a meal, just top it with some grilled chicken.
P.S. If quinoa is a bit too foreign for your kids (even the word may scare them off), try it first with something they do like such as orzo or cous cous (i.e., pasta) or rice.
Quinoa Veggie Salad Recipe
Ingredients
1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed in a fine-mesh colander
2 cups water
1 medium cucumber, seeded and chopped
1 medium red or yellow bell pepper, chopped
3/4 cup of cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup of Parsley Vinaigrette
Salt and pepper, as needed
Directions
To cook the quinoa: Combine the rinsed quinoa and the water in a medium saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, then decrease the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cover and cook for 15 minutes, until the quinoa has absorbed all of the water. Remove from heat. Transfer quinoa to a bowl to cool.
Prep the vegetables: chop cucumber, chop bell pepper, cut cherry tomatoes in half
Make the Parsley Vinaigrette.
Once the quinoa is mostly cool, add the cucumbers, bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, and quinoa to a large serving bowl, and drizzle the vinaigrette on top.
Toss until the mixture is thoroughly combined. Season with black pepper, to taste, and add an extra pinch of salt if necessary. For best flavor, let the salad rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
This salad keeps well in the refrigerator, covered, for about 4 days. Serve chilled or at room temperature.
