Thursday, July 11, 2013

Quinoa Lover's Salad

Quinoa in a bowl with vegetables


Doesn't this salad look amazing?  
It contains quinoa, fresh spinach, orange segments, chick peas and roasted beets making it a nutritional powerhouse of antioxidants and vitamins. In addition, quinoa and chick peas are high in protein making this salad a meal in a bowl. It's dressed in a light orange refreshing citrus dressing.

There is nothing like a hearty salad, especially when you may not feel like cooking. A salad like this could be a perfect lunch, light dinner or even a side to complement any entree.

This recipe was shared with me from my daughter in law's mother, Jeanette. We were invited  last Saturday to their beautiful home in upstate New York. Knowing that I am a vegetarian, Jeanette surprised me with this delicious salad. After one bite, I knew I would want to share it on my blog.

The homemade fresh roasted beets in the salad are exceptionally delicious. However, if you are in a hurry and want to able to throw this vegan salad together more quickly, you could use cooked beets from a jar or even roasted beets that I've seen beets in the refrigerator section of most supermarkets.

In addition, this vegan and gluten free salad lends itself to variations. You could add slivered almonds, pine nuts, avocado, etc. Jeanette found the recipe on a blog called the Gluten Free Goddass.

Ingredients:

3 cups  quinoa , cooked
2 raw beets, trimmed and quartered ( don't peel)  then roasted in the oven for 45 minutes till middle is soft, then when cool rub off skin.
Olive oil Sea salt to roast the beets
2 big handfuls of baby spinach leaves
1 cup drained rinsed chick peas
Sea salt and ground pepper, to taste

1 fresh orange, peeled, trimmed, cut into bite sized pieces

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Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375ºF to roast the beets

Cook quinoa according to the directions on the package and set aside

Roast the beets ( about 45 minutes)  - when done set aside to cool. When cool, rub off the skin . Cut beets into bite size pieces. 

Dressing: 
1/4 cup  olive oil
1/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
2 teaspoons organic gluten-free tamari sauce
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar or rice vinegar
1 tablespoon organic raw agave nectar or local honey
Combine all ingredients and whisk until smooth ; pour over salad and toss

Wash spinach

To assemble the salad, mix the warm quinoa, chick peas and spinach leaves in a large bowl.  Pour the dressing over the salad and toss. Add the beets and orange pieces without tossing  to keep the beets to from excessive bleeding ( everything will turn red if you overdo it)
Quinoa Spinach Salad
                       


Try some of these other recipes that I  posted last July::



Basil Spinach Pesto

basil spinach pesto


Cucumber Dill Dressing


salad dressing

Middle Eastern Lemonade

homemade  lemonade
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Shared on Beth Fish Read's  Weekend Cooking open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: 




May be shared on some of the following blog carnivals:  Blog Carnivals


Pin It Please leave a comment so I know you stopped by. Scroll down to the end of the post and click on comments.

18 comments:

  1. Beautiful salad and I love the addition of beets and chick peas. Your dressing looks yummy too! Thanks for sharing on the BBQ Block Party.

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  2. Yummmmm. I have made a version of this and agree with you about it being so full of flavor. Delicious! I can't eat beets, but I'll bet that's a wonderful addition.

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  3. I love roasted beets... wonderful salad. Thanks so much for sharing it with us on foodie friday.

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  4. Thank you so much for sharing your yummy recipe with Saturday Spotlight. I wish I was a fan of beets, but I bet it would be just as tasty without them!
    Have a great weekend and hope to see you again soon!

    April
    Angels Homestead

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  5. I like all of the ingredients you have in this and the dressing sounds wonderful. Quinoa salads are so satisfying--thanks for sharing with Souper Sundays this week. ;-)

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  6. I always leave your blog with recipes, I want to make, and this is one of them.

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  7. What great looking as well as healthy lunch, new follower!

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  8. That looks SO refreshing!! Visiting from Hearth and Soul Blog Hop.

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  9. This looks amazing! I'm always searching for new ways to make quinoa dishes too. Thanks for sharing! (Visiting from Far Above Rubies link party)

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  10. Wow, this does look gorgeous and sounds so delicious and refreshing - I am so delighted that you shared with Home and Garden Thursday,
    Kathy

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  11. What a lovely salad. Thanks for sharing at Simple Supper Tuesday.

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  12. This looks great! I love a meal-sized salad. Thanks so much for sharing this on Waste Not Want Not Wednesday, I’ve pinned it : )

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  13. Love this salad! We are featuring it this week at Wonderful Food Wednesday - hope you'll stop by and link up some more wonderful food :)

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  14. Hi Judee,

    Thanks for sharing at Healthy2Day Wednesdays. Your post was featured and will be shared on FB, Twitter, and Pinterest!

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  15. Oh gosh, that salad looks amazing. All the ingredients are in season, so I really need to try it. I made a different kale salad this week, but I'm happy to make a new one next week. :) I love pesto in all its forms!

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  16. I know a few vegetarians who would love this salad, I'm going to share this with them.

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  17. Looks really yummy! Cant wait to make.it

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  18. Looks really yummy! Cant wait to make.it

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Your comments are appreciated. I love knowing who is stopping by to read my posts! Have a great day.

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