Prepare dressing: Place all of the ingredients for the dressing into a canning jar. Shake thoroughly to combine. Shake again before adding to the salad.
Cook quinoa: Rinse the quinoa in cold water through a fine mesh strainer. Transfer to a saucepan containing 1-1/3 cups of water. Bring to a boil uncovered. Reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook for 15 minutes. Remove pan from heat leaving quinoa to sit covered for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork before assembling salad.
Cook edamame, transfer to a cold water bath then drain. Refresh peas by soaking in hot water and draining.
Assemble salad: Transfer all of the prepared vegetables into a medium salad bowl. Add the cooked quinoa and half the quantity of dressing. Toss gently to combine. Add more dressing to taste.
Store leftover salad in an airtight container, enjoying it within 5 days.
Healthy Quinoa Salad
Ingredients
For the salad:
⅔ cup quinoa
2 cups fresh spinach
1 English cucumber, diced
2 ribs of celery, diced
2 cups fresh or frozen peas
2 cups edamame, shelled
For the dressing:
¼ cup soy sauce
¼ cup seasoned rice wine vinegar
4 teaspoons maple syrup
2 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
2 garlic cloves, grated
¼ cup sesame seeds, toasted
Garnish:
2 green onions, chopped
Directions
Prepare dressing: Place all of the ingredients for the dressing into a canning jar. Shake thoroughly to combine. Shake again before adding to the salad.
Cook quinoa: Rinse the quinoa in cold water through a fine mesh strainer. Transfer to a saucepan containing 1-1/3 cups of water. Bring to a boil uncovered. Reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook for 15 minutes. Remove pan from heat leaving quinoa to sit covered for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork before assembling salad.
Cook edamame, transfer to a cold water bath then drain. Refresh peas by soaking in hot water and draining.
Assemble salad: Transfer all of the prepared vegetables into a medium salad bowl. Add the cooked quinoa and half the quantity of dressing. Toss gently to combine. Add more dressing to taste.
Store leftover salad in an airtight container, enjoying it within 5 days.
Healthy Quinoa Salad
5 / 5. 1
Nutrient-dense quinoa tossed with assorted green veggies and a simple Asian-inspired dressing…
Here’s the HEALTHY QUINOA SALAD we’ve all been waiting for!
Confession: this absolutely delicious HEALTHY QUINOA SALAD had me on the very first bite. There I was, hosting some of my siblings, when my sister Dana began to serve this. Watching her assemble it, I thought, “Hmm, this is easy!” As she added a series of green veggies, we all saw the plethora of healthy nutrients, vitamins and minerals this homemade salad provides. Lastly, the inclusion of cooked quinoa checked off the healthy protein box, while the simple Asian-inspired dressing checked off big flavour. Trust me, one bite, and you’ll be hooked.
If you’re discovering WATC for the first time, we’d better explain that when it comes to fresh salads and side dishes, the healthier the better. After trying this winner, please circle back and check out some of our other offerings. Our GRATED CARROT SALAD and this tasty HEALTHY SLAW RECIPE—complete with tomatoes, red bell peppers, and herbs—are both very good. We also recommend our AVOCADO AND BLACK BEAN SALAD WITH CHERRY TOMATOES and our EVERYDAY SALAD with GREEN GODDESS DRESSING that you can zip up with cilantro, fresh parsley, basil, mint and other fresh herbs; both are fan favourites. You’ll also find other great salad options plus salad dressings and vinaigrette options when you click HERE to see our collection of more than thirty popular recipes. Enjoy!
Time to share the secrets of this quick and easy HEALTHY QUINOA SALAD recipe:
INGREDIENTS
Wait for it… quinoa, an Asian dressing and six green vegetables. That’s it. I know you may be a bit surprised by the simplicity of the ingredient list for this fresh salad, but don’t be. Having made it now a number of times (read: once a week) I see how some big flavours come from just a few choice ingredients. It’s worth mentioning the endless possibilities when it comes to protein add-ons, especially when making this as a full meal. We encourage you to make this recipe your own by adding things like tofu, chickpeas, hard-boiled eggs, tempeh, feta cheese, grilled fish, shrimp or seafood. Want to include something more substantial like chicken? Feel free to add a favourite grilled, roasted or poached cut of meat or poultry.
QUINOA
In our humble opinion, QUINOA (KEEN-wah) is the star of this salad recipe. Celebrated for its dense nutritional profile, this highly nutritious edible seed is classified and prepared as a whole grain. Closely related to spinach and beets, quinoa is a plant-based protein containing nine essential amino acids. It’s also high in dietary fibre, magnesium, phosphorus, iron and potassium. Some think the following is its greatest claim to fame: quinoa is 100% gluten-free! WOOT! Please note the above photo showing two bowls, one of cooked quinoa, the other, uncooked. Guess what? Same quantity in each. The takeaway: it’s super easy to measure out the ⅔ cup of quinoa for this recipe. Try to make it maybe an hour before you plan to serve so the quinoa cools to room temperature. You really don’t need more than that in this favourite quinoa salad.
GREEN VEGETABLES
Eat your vegetables. We’ve all heard this from the health professionals, right? This HEALTHY QUINOA SALAD will help you accomplish this important directive. We made this version of the salad using fresh spinach, green peas, edamame (immature green soy beans), cucumber, green onions and celery. The edamame requires a quick cook in boiling water while the peas get a simple refresh in hot water before being spilled into a fine mesh strainer. The celery, cucumber and onions get the chop. Prep on this dish will take no more than 15 minutes. If you’re reading this thinking, “what about…?” We say yes. Yes, to any favourite green veggies, including zucchini, green bell peppers, bok choy, shredded cabbage, asparagus and kale.
ASIAN DRESSING INGREDIENTS
Gathering the ingredients needed to make this flavourful Asian-inspired dressing won’t be difficult. We’re hoping you already have soy sauce, seasoned rice wine vinegar, toasted sesame oil and fresh garlic on hand. If not, jot them down on this week’s grocery list. The last two ingredients are sesame seeds that get toasted to a rich golden colour in a hot pan or skillet, plus maple syrup as a sweetener instead of the typical honey. For best results, we suggest using pure Canadian maple syrup. Tastes the best, eh?!
HOW TO MAKE A SIMPLE ASIAN DRESSING
Making the dressing for this HEALTHY QUINOA SALAD could not be any easier. Ready? As explained in the instructions down below, add all of the ingredients into a jar. Home canning jars, AKA Mason jars, are perfect. Secure the lid, then shake it up vigorously to combine. The toasted sesame seeds will float to the top, but that’s OK. Just give the jar an additional shake before you drizzle and toss everything together.
ASSEMBLING A HEALTHY QUINOA SALAD
In the VIDEO created to accompany this salad recipe, we did an overhead shot to show the process. We started with the spinach because it acts like a cushion for the subsequent additions. Next came the chopped celery, cucumber, peas and edamame, followed by the cooked quinoa, green onions and dressing. Looking at everything in the bowl, we love the varied texture of the contents. This salad has a pleasing crunchiness.
TOSS
When tossing this salad, make sure to coax the salad servers to the bottom of the bowl, then gently lift and toss. Doing that a few times makes sure all of the veggies mix and mingle with the flavourful salad dressing. One thing to note: there’s no “taste and season” direction here. We think the sodium level of the soy does the trick without the need for additional kosher salt.
SERVE
We suggest serving this healthy salad soon after it’s tossed. We love the fresh flavour this salad delivers. If you manage to have any leftover after serving, transfer it into an airtight container, keeping it in the fridge. Having enjoyed it the next day, and even the day after that, the flavours remain bright and mighty tasty. This recipe has legs.
PIN IT!
Before you head off to prepare this must-make recipe, a reminder to save it for future reference. Click that BOOKMARK tab at the top of your browser and also PIN it to one of your PINTEREST boards for easy access. Good idea to also forward it to friends; everyone loves a tasty, healthy salad recipe, no?
Make this HEALTHY QUINOA SALAD ASAP. One bite and you’ll be hooked!
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Ingredients
For the salad:
⅔ cup quinoa
2 cups fresh spinach
1 English cucumber, diced
2 ribs of celery, diced
2 cups fresh or frozen peas
2 cups edamame, shelled
For the dressing:
¼ cup soy sauce
¼ cup seasoned rice wine vinegar
4 teaspoons maple syrup
2 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
2 garlic cloves, grated
¼ cup sesame seeds, toasted
Garnish:
2 green onions, chopped
Directions
Prepare dressing: Place all of the ingredients for the dressing into a canning jar. Shake thoroughly to combine. Shake again before adding to the salad.
Cook quinoa: Rinse the quinoa in cold water through a fine mesh strainer. Transfer to a saucepan containing 1-1/3 cups of water. Bring to a boil uncovered. Reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook for 15 minutes. Remove pan from heat leaving quinoa to sit covered for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork before assembling salad.
Cook edamame, transfer to a cold water bath then drain. Refresh peas by soaking in hot water and draining.
Assemble salad: Transfer all of the prepared vegetables into a medium salad bowl. Add the cooked quinoa and half the quantity of dressing. Toss gently to combine. Add more dressing to taste.
Store leftover salad in an airtight container, enjoying it within 5 days.
Until Canada Day
