Quinoa, cranberry, parsley and cucumber salad

Written by Catherine Saxelby on Monday, 28 April 2014.
Tagged: ancient grains, dairy-free, egg-free, gluten-free, grains, healthy cooking, healthy recipes, high fibre, low fat, low GI, low salt, quinoa, salad, vegetarian, wheat-free, whole grain, whole grains

Quinoa, cranberry, parsley and cucumber salad

 

Use quinoa as the base but enliven it with the stronger flavours of cranberries, mint, parsley and pistachio nuts. It's a winner!

Ingredients

  • ¾ cup quinoa
  • ½ cup (100 g) dried cranberries
  • 1 small Lebanese cucumber, cut lengthwise, deseeded and diced
  • 1 cup fresh parsley leaves
  • 1 cup fresh mint leaves roughly chopped
  • ½ cup pistachio, roughly chopped
  • FOR THE DRESSING:
  • 1 lemon, juiced
  • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed
  • Freshly-ground black pepper

Nutrition per serve

900 kilojoules (215 Calories), 12 g fat (including 2 g saturated fat), 20 g carbohydrate (including 10 g sugars), 4 g fibre and 20 mg sodium.

Read our nutrition rating system.

Directions

  1. Place quinoa and 1 ½ cups cold water in a saucepan over high heat. Cover. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low. Simmer for 10 to 12 minutes or until water has absorbed. Drain. Rinse. Transfer to a large bowl.
  2. Add in cranberries, diced cucumber, parsley, mint and pistachios. Before serving, pour over dressing and toss well to combine.
  3. To make dressing: Place lemon juice and oil in a screw-top jar. Season with pepper. Secure lid. Shake to combine. 

Variations

  • No cranberries? Just use currants or sliced dried apricots instead.
  • No pistachios? Substitute any other nut– almonds or pecans or walnuts are nice.
  • Toss in ½ cup sunflower seeds.
  • Not a vegetarian? Add 2 cups of cooked chicken pieces in with the cranberries and toss to combine.

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