One of my family's favorite lighter meals is this Quinoa Salad with Cumin-Lime Dressing. I serve it with grilled fish or chicken. It's a breeze to put together.

It's a breeze to put together. You cook up some quinoa, which takes about fifteen minutes, and then tuck it in the fridge to chill. While it grows cold, you chop up all sorts of vibrant additions like avocado, tomato, red onion and jalapeno before tossing it all together with lime juice and olive oil.

The Goodness in Quinoa

Quinoa is the seed of a plant that originated in the Andean mountains of South America, where it was cultivated by indigenous peoples for five to seven thousand years.

Andean peoples held a sacred place in their culinary traditions for quinoa where it was used liberally, and, was particularly treasured by nursing mothers as it was thought to support an adequate and abundant milk supply (source).

Quinoa is rich in minerals like manganese, magnesium and phosphorus as well as antioxidants like quercetin. It is likewise rich in protein, and is a good source of folate, a nutrient critical to women of reproductive age for its ability to mitigate the risk of neural tube defects.

Quinoa's not really a grain.

While we use quinoa like a grain, and often refer to it as a grain. Quinoa is not truly a grain at all; rather, it's a pseudoceral - or a seed that we use like a cereal grain. Quinoa is the seed of a leafy plant in the Amaranth family.

Cooking with Quinoa

Quinoa can be bitter, owing to the presence of saponins that coat the exterior of the seeds. By rinsing quinoa thoroughly before cooking, you can reduce its natural bitterness. Your best bet, however, is simply to purchase from quinoa from a company that has already rinsed (or sprouted!) the quinoa in advance (this is the one I buy).

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6 servings

Quinoa Salad with Cumin Lime Vinaigrette

Quinoa, tomatoes and avocado come together in this super easy quinoa salad. It stores well in the fridge for a few days, and is great to take for pot lucks. Dress it with a flavor-packed cumin lime vinaigrette.

Prep Time5

Cook Time15

Refrigerate1

Total Time20

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Ingredients

2 cups quinoa
4 cups water
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 medium avocado pitted and diced
2 cups cherry tomatoes halved
1 small red onion diced
1 medium jalapeño sliced thin
1 cup cilantro leaves loosely packed
2 medium limes juiced
1 clove garlic minced
½ teaspoon ground cumin
⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

Pour the quinoa into a saucepan and cover with water and salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, cover, and turn down the heat to medium-low. Simmer, covered, until quinoa is is tender, about 15 minutes. Spoon the quinoa into a large mixing bowl, fluff with a fork, and then refrigerate at least 1 hour until cold.
Toss the cold quinoa with avocado, tomatoes, red onion, jalapeño and cilantro leaves.
Prepare the dressing by whisking lime juice with garlic, cumin, salt and olive oil. Dress the quinoa salad and serve immediately. Leftovers will store, tightly sealed, in the refrigerator up to 5 days.