I love this salad, as it provides great nutrition with high protein and good carbohydrates. It’s satisfying and if you feel like adding more protein you can toss in chicken, grilled shrimp, beef, half walnuts or cubed tofu.
1 cup of cooked quinoa provides 40 grams of carbohydrates including 5 grams of fibers and 8 grams of protein, all for 200 calories. 1/3 cup of uncooked quinoa will make 1 cup when cooked.
For 4 servings, counting 1 cup of cooked quinoa per person, you will need:
1.5 cups of quinoa
1 cup grape tomatoes, cut in half
1 cup sliced yellow pepper
2 cups raw shaved asparagus, cut only the soft tips and 1/3 of the upper stem
2 cups cubed cucumber, peeled
2 green onions or chives, diced
¼ cup of chopped cilantro, more or less to your taste. If you do not like cilantro, replace it with parsley
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
To prepare the vinaigrette:
- 4 to 5 tbsps. of lemon juice
- 1 tbsp. red wine vinegar
- 2 small cloves of mashed garlic
- 5 tbsps. olive oil
- Salt and pepper
Directions:
• Combine the quinoa, 3 cups water, salt and pepper in a saucepan, bring to a boil and cook until the water is totally absorbed and the quinoa is tender, about 15-17 minutes
• Let the quinoa cool for 1 hour
• In a bowl mix the lemon juice, vinegar, cilantro, garlic and some salt and pepper
• Once the quinoa is cooled, add the halved tomatoes, the cucumber, the pepper, the asparagus, the onions and the fresh cilantro and toss.
Serve the salad with vinaigrette on the side, so people can decide how much they want to add! Enjoy this healthy and delicious salad and let us know what you think!