Sweet and Zesty Quinoa Salad

A complete meal in a bowl! A vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, paleo friendly and low carb salad full of goodness!

Not only is quinoa a complete protein, as it contains all the amino acids or building blocks of protein, but it’s also rich in minerals and vitamins essential for proper nerve and muscle function such as potassium, magnesium, calcium, iron, manganese and zinc.

And to top it off, the beet and sweet potato in this recipe add to the health benefits making this salad even more nutritious.

Beets are good for your heart, energy and even digestion thanks to its content of betaine, an amino acid that is known to inhibit the formation of cancer-causing compounds and is protective against colon and stomach cancer. ⁽¹⁾

 Do you need more reasons to give this recipe a try? Well, it’s really delicious! It’s sweet and zesty with a bit of a crunch, thanks to the cucumber and jalapeno pepper.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cup quinoa
• 3 cups water
• 1 boiled or roasted sweet potato (cubed)
• 1 roasted or boiled beet (cubed)
• 1 cup fresh cucumber (cubed)
• 2 tbs. chopped cilantro
• 1 jalapeno pepper (chopped)
• 2 tbs. lemon juice (or lime)
• 1-2 tbs. olive oil (optional)
• Salt and pepper to taste

 
Makes about 5 servings

Directions

1. Cook quinoa in 3 cups of water (I recommend cooking it in a rice cooker, as it turns out fluffy and done just right, without making it mushy). Once cooked, set aside and let it cool off a bit.
2. In the meantime, preheat oven to 400 ° F. Wash the sweet potato and beet and wrap each one in foil and place in the oven to roast for about 30 minutes. When done remove the peel and cut both the sweet potato and beet into small cubes.
3. Chop the cilantro, cucumber, and jalapeno and set aside.
4. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl, add lemon juice and season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Top it with additional cilantro and Voila! Your dish is ready to be enjoyed by itself or as a side. Since quinoa is one of the most complex vegetarian protein sources, you can really serve it by itself, with no additional animal protein.