I love a good quinoa salad recipe, but normally I’m not a fan of cold salad dishes. Dishes like potato salad, macaroni salad, and egg salad actually give the willies. Sorry if you’re actually a fan, but man, I can’t handle them. Yikes.
A few weeks ago, my friend Lisa’s son turned 13. We had a great potluck party where everyone brought a dish from some random corner of the earth, and one guest brought their curried quinoa salad recipe. I was skeptical, of course, because it was a cold salad – I watch it with disdain from across the room, but the bright colors kept me intrigued. I love quinoa, so finally decided to open my mind a bit and give it a try.
This cold quinoa salad recipe, as it turns out, was delicious. There was no mayo involved, so my stomach didn’t perform the requisite flip-flops after the first bite. I spent the next day tracking down the bringer of said salad on Facebook, who was kind enough to share the recipe. And you, dear Internet, should try it out.
This cool summer recipe is not only insanely tasty, it’s super healthy too. Quinoa, being a whole grain, is high in fiber and actually contains more calcium than milk. It’s also an almost perfect balance of all eight essential amino acids, making for a great mega-shot of protein.
If you’re feeding this to kids, you might leave out the pepper to reduce the overall heat which, though mild, might turn off young’ins. Adding more mango will increase the level of sweetness, if you’re looking for something fruitier.
How to Cook Quinoa - Curried Quinoa Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup plain yogurt (soy, cow, or goat's milk)
- 1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lime juice
- 2 teaspoons yellow curry powder
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger peeled and finely grated
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 1/3 cups uncooked quinoa
- 2 whole mangos cut into 1/2-inch chunks
- 1 whole red bell pepper seeded and cut into 1/4-inch chunks
- 1 whole fresh serrano chile seeded and minced
- 1/4 cup fresh mint chopped
- 1/2 cup salted roasted cashews or peanuts chopped
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together yogurt, lime juice, curry powder, ginger, salt, and pepper. Slowly add oil, whisking until fully combined.
- Rinse quinoa in a bowl for three minutes, using fingers to agitate grains. Quinoa has a coating of bitter saponin that needs to be removed before cooking, and agitating while rinsing will help remove it.
- In a 5-quart pot, bring four cups of water to a boil with 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Add in quinoa and cook for 15 minutes, until grains are cooked through but still just a touch crunchy. Pour into a sieve, rinse with cold water, and let sit to drain for 15 minutes.
- Once quinoa is fully drained, mix with curried yogurt and remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Serve at room temperature.
Nutrition
This content was originally posted on FearlessFresh.com.