What to Make: Crunchy Quinoa Salad

Crunchy Quinoa Salad

Feel free to vary the vegetables in this salad according to what you have in your garden or find at the farmers? market.

Preparation time 30 minutes

Chilling time 1 to 2 hours

Servings 6

Ingredients
1 cup uncooked quinoa
2 cups vegetable broth
3 x 2-inch strips of lemon zest (see hints below)
1? cups asparagus, sliced into ?-inch pieces
1 cup mange tout, cut in half
? cup kohlrabi, peeled and sliced into thin strips
1/3 cup thinly sliced radishes
3 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp chopped fresh chives
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 tbsp chopped fresh coriander (optional)
1 tsp chopped fresh mint
freshly ground black pepper
dash sea salt

Method
Rinse the quinoa well and place it in a pot with the vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, stir in the pieces of lemon zest, cover, and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir, and remove and discard the pieces of lemon zest. Allow the quinoa to cool slightly.

Meanwhile, put a large pot of water on the stove to boil, drop the asparagus and mange tout into the boiling water, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until crisp-tender (do not overcook; the vegetables should still be slightly firm). Remove from the pot with a slotted spoon and drop into a bowl of ice water. Drain.

Combine the cooked quinoa, asparagus, mange tout, kohlrabi, and radishes in a large bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Season with freshly ground black pepper and sea salt, if desired. Chill for 1 to 2 hours before serving to allow flavours to mingle.

Hints: Peel the lemon with a vegetable peeler, yielding very thin strips. Use the remaining lemon for the juice in this recipe. Kohlrabi, a relative of cabbage and broccoli, may be unfamiliar to you, but I highly recommend it in this recipe. If you can’t find it, use sliced courgette instead.

Extracted from The Healthiest Diet on the Planet by Dr John McDougall and Mary McDougall (Harper One, approx €23).