Perfect Beet, Quinoa and Cucumber Salad
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I call this the perfect salad recipe because it offers a variety of sensory pleasing textures and fantastic flavor. It also makes an excellent snack or meal and is easy to toss in a container to have on the go or enjoy at home as a meal.
This is great to have on hand during a busy week so I know there is something nutritious and already made in the fridge
Here's the recipe…
4 servings for meal size portions or 6 servings for snack sized portions
Ingredients
4 medium to large peeled cooked beets, cooled and chopped
If you’re not a fan of beets, no worries! Just substitute with 4-5 medium to large, chopped Roma tomatoes and it will be equally as delicious.
2 cups dry quinoa
1/3 cup onion, diced
4 Persian cucumber, chopped
1 cup parsley, chopped
2 tsp dried dill
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lemon or lime juice
1/4 tsp cayenne
salt to taste
1-2 avocados, sliced (optional)
Directions
Prepare raw beets ahead of time as they will take a of couple hours. Add raw beets to a large pot of water. Beets should be covered by 1-2 inches of water. Allow water to come to a rolling boil then reduce heat to a simmer. Check for desired tenderness of beets (enough to pierce your fork easily into the flesh) every 30 minutes. It may take around 90 minutes. Once cooked, strain then place in ice cold water. Next, peel skin off with your hands once cooled. Chop beets and continue to let cool. You can place them in the refrigerator while preparing the rest of the salad.
Cook quinoa according to package directions. Or, add rinsed quinoa to a sauce pan with 4 cups of water. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer for 15-20 minutes until quinoa is somewhat transparent. Make sure water at bottom of pan has evaporated off. Rinse in a strainer.
Transfer quinoa to a large bowl and let cool at room temperature. Once cooled, chill in refrigerator for a couple of hours.
Remove bowl with quinoa from fridge.
Add beets, onion, cucumber and parsley to bowl with quinoa.
Add oil, lemon/lime juice, cayenne and salt.
Gently toss to combine.
Add avocados slices before serving if desired.
Enjoy!
I hope you love this recipe as much as I do.
Blessings...
