This healthy quinoa salad is delicious, and a great way to get more vegetables into your diet. It’s also easy to adapt to your taste, just leave out what you don’t like and add in more of what you do.
If you haven’t had quinoa before, I definitely recommend it as it’s a tasty and healthy grain. It’s rich in fiber, minerals, antioxidants and contains a small amount of all nine essential amino acids which are vital for muscle growth and development (1, 2, 3). It’s also naturally gluten free!
You will get an extra dose of nutrients such as vitamin C, vitamin A, fiber, folate and iron when you add in the tomatoes (4), bell peppers (5) and spinach (6). These vitamins and minerals are important for proper immune function, digestion, and a healthy immune system.
I love to serve this salad as a side dish or top it with chicken or fish to make it more of a complete meal. It’s also easy to make ahead during your weekly meal prep and can be served chilled or at room temperature.
However you choose to serve it, enjoy a salad is not only bursting with flavor, but bursting with healthy nutrients as well!
Veggie Quinoa Salad
Yield: 4 servings
You will need: mixing bowl, measuring cups and spoons, knife, cutting board
Key: T=Tablespoon; tsp=teaspoon
Ingredients:
- 2 cups cooked quinoa
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 1/2 cup red onion, chopped
- 1 cup spinach
- 12 cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 2 T olive oil
- 2 tsp honey
- sea salt and pepper, to taste
Directions:
1. Combine the quinoa and veggies in a bowl. Whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, honey, salt and pepper.
2. Toss the dressing with the quinoa and veggies and refrigerate several hours
Nutrition Facts
I hope you enjoy this quick and healthy salad! Leave me a comment below and let me know how it turns out and if you made any modifications – I love hearing from you.
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- “Quinoa, cooked.” FoodData Central. April 2018. Web. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/168917/nutrients
- Repo-Carrasco-Valencia, Ritva and Serna, Lesli. “Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa, Willd.) as a source of dietary fiber and other functional components.” Ciênc. Tecnol. Aliment., Campinas, 31(1): 225-230. Jan-March 2011. Web. http://www.scielo.br/pdf/cta/v31n1/35.pdf
- Dakhili, Samira et al. “Quinoa protein: Composition, structure and functional properties.” Food Chemistry. November 2019. Web. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31323439/
- Bhowmik, Debjit et al. “Tomato-A Natural Medicine and Its Health Benefits.” Journal of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry. 2012. Web. https://www.phytojournal.com/archives/2012/vol1issue1/PartA/3.pdf
- Nadeem, Muhammad et al. “Antioxidant Potential of Bell Pepper (Capsicum annum L.)-A Review.” Pakistan Journal of Food Sciences. August 2013. Web. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/255969817
- Jovanovski, Elena et al. “Effect of Spinach, a High Dietary Nitrate Source, on Arterial Stiffness and Related Hemodynamic Measures: A Randomized, Controlled Trial in Healthy Adults.” Clinical nutrition research. 2015. Web. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4525132/
