One of my favourite picnic foods to pack is a quinoa salad.
I used to make a lot of couscous salads when I was younger, but ever since being introduced to quinoa, I haven’t turned back. This is because quinoa is a nutritional powerhouse and the one grain that is also a protein. For someone who doesn’t eat a lot of meat, it is an awesome ingredient to play with!
Since summer days still seem far away in Toronto these days (rain rain go away), I decided to make a warm quinoa salad with a bit of spice and a sweet chili dressing.
I used mum’s original organic heirloom quinoa and boiled her up similar to the way I’d make rice.
To add an even bigger protein punch – and a lot of flavour – I added black beans, chickpeas and corn niblets for sweetness.
I even added the almighty kale. I cut it up super fine for the sake of my fiancé, who doesn’t share my love of kale, but will happily eat it if he doesn’t know it’s there!
I mixed up my sauce, all of my ingredients, and dug right in. OH YUM.
This was great on it’s own, and will be even better picnic style when I get to enjoy it with my lunch at work. I even packed some for my fiancé, just don’t tell him about the kale okay?
- 2 cups quinoa
- 1 can black beans
- ¼ cup corn
- ¼ cup chickpeas
- Handful of kale
- Sauce:
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp raw apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tbsp cumin
- 1 tsp worcester sauce
- Clove of garlic
- Hot sauce
- Sriracha
- Cook quinoa as directed (rinse beforehand if not pre-rinsed)
- Blend all of the sauce together
- Allow quinoa to cool, then add bean, corns, kale and sauce.
- Toss together.
- Enjoy on its own, as a side, or in a salad!
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Yum! When are we going on our picnic??
xo
Soon I hope! As soon as the weather gets nice!!
YUM! I just made a batch of quinoa yesterday…this is a great way to dress it up!
The rhythm of the weekend, with its birth, its planned gaieties, and its announced end, followed the rhythm of life and was a substitute for it.
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