Quinoa Salad with Cucumber and Tomato Spicy

This summer quinoa salad is perfect to bring to a summer picnic. Below is the recipe.

Ingredients

• One cup quinoa
• Three cups of water
• Salt to taste
• Two cups diced cucumber
• One minced small red onion
• Two cups diced tomatoes
• One to two jalapenos or Serrano peppers
• Two tablespoons of lime juice
• Three tablespoons of virgin olive oil
• One tablespoon of red wine vinegar
• Half cup chopped cilantro and several sprigs for garnishing
• One sliced avocado for garnishing
• Steps to make

Instructions

1. Place the quinoa in a big bowl and cover contents with cold water. Let it sit in still water for five minutes. After that, drain the water through the strainer and properly rinse it unless and until the water is running clear. After that boil the three cups of water in a roughly medium-sized saucepan. Add salt and the quinoa to it. Cover it and simmer for fifteen minutes until the seeds are translucent. Drain out the water, and then return the quinoa to the pan. Then uncover the pan and let it cool. Dry it and place it in plastic bags. Seal and flatten the plastic nags before placing them in the freezer.
2. Meanwhile, add the cucumber in a colander and gently sprinkle it with the right amount of salt. Rinse the cucumber with cold water after allowing it to sit for 15 minutes. Repeat the same process with the onions and then dry it with paper towels.
3. Combine the chiles, cilantro, tomatoes, olive oil, and lime juice in a big bowl and add the cucumber and the onions inside it. Later add the quinoa and the cilantro along with the salt to taste. Toss it all up together and taste and adjust the seasonings according to your palette. Garnish it with sliced cilantro and sprigs.

Yield: It serves six people.

Advanced preparation: Make sure that the quinoa freezes well and keeps the assembled full salad in a refrigerator for one full day. You can use the leftovers for a few days after assembly. The better you will freeze the quinoa, the better will be the overall taste of the dish. You need to keep this in mind.

Nutritional information

The salad gives 236 calories per serving. Per serving: 14 grams of fat, 2 grams of saturated fat, 25 grams of carbohydrates, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 5 milligrams dietary fiber, 12 milligrams of sodium, 6 milligrams of protein. While cooking, there is no need to add salt to the salad.

Learn more about quinoa nutrition.

See also 7 quinoa salad recipes.