Colourful quinoa salad (Dinner)

Colourful quinoa salad (from Canada's food guide)

Get a healthy dose of delicious with this colourful salad. Look for quinoa in the grains, organic or natural section of your grocery store. Store this whole grain in the freezer to keep it fresh for a long time.

Prep time: 15 min

Cook time: 30 min

Servings: 6

Vegetarian

Ingredients

• 250 mL (1 cup) quinoa, rinsed well

• 425 mL (1 ¾ cups) sodium reduced vegetable broth

• 1 clove garlic, minced

• 5 mL (1 tsp) chopped fresh thyme or 2 mL (½ tsp) dried thyme leaves

• 2 red, yellow or green bell peppers, seeded and quartered

• 1 large carrot, peeled and sliced lengthwise

• 1 zucchini, sliced lengthwise

• 10 mL (2 tsp) canola oil

• 2 mL (½ tsp) grated lemon rind

• 1 mL (¼ tsp) fresh ground pepper

• 60 mL (¼ cup) chopped fresh basil

• 30 mL (2 tbsp) cider or white wine vinegar

• 15 mL (1 tbsp) lemon juice

Directions

1. In a nonstick skillet set over medium heat, toast quinoa, stirring frequently for about 5 minutes or until starting to pop. Pour in vegetable broth, garlic and thyme, stir and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to low; cover and cook for about 15 minutes or until broth is absorbed; set aside.

2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, toss together peppers, carrot and zucchini with oil, lemon rind and pepper. Place on greased grill over medium high-heat and grill, turning occasionally for about 10 minutes or until golden and tender crisp. Remove to cutting board and chop into bite-size pieces. Return to bowl.

3. Fluff quinoa with a fork and put into bowl with grilled vegetables. Stir in basil, vinegar and lemon juice until combined.

Tips

• You can serve this salad warm or cover and refrigerate it for up to 2 days and enjoy it cold.

• Add a hit of protein with a can of reduced sodium kidney beans or chickpeas (drained and rinsed, of course!).

• Leftover quinoa salad makes a great lunch that's ready to pack in just minutes.

Tips for cooking quinoa

• To prepare quinoa, use 2 parts water to 1 part quinoa. Rinse the seeds under running water while rubbing them together over a bowl. Even if labelled pre-washed, this step is still recommended. Drain the water from the bowl.

• Stove-top preparation: Bring quinoa and water to boil in a saucepan. Cover with a lid. Cook on medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes or until all liquid is absorbed. The texture will remain slightly crunchy and the quinoa will be clear.

• Microwave preparation: Combine water and quinoa in a microwaveable bowl. Cover loosely with the proper lid. Microwave on high for 8 minutes. Stir the quinoa. Then let the bowl stand for 10 minutes. Microwave the quinoa for another 2 minutes. Stir the quinoa again. Let it stand for 1 minute before serving.

Recipe developed by Emily Richards, P.H. Ec. for Health Canada and the Heart and Stroke Foundation.