Quinoa Summer Salad

Quinoa is a great way of beefing up a leafy salad and adding protein.

This dish from Cook Happy, Cook Healthy is a favourite of mine during the summer and I make it most weekends when we have family or friends over. It’s simple to make, and the textures are crisp and the flavours refreshing. It has a wonderful texture and looks so colourful and pretty.

Serves 4.

Ingredients

• 150g quinoa, rinsed
• 2 cooked beetroot, sliced into wedges
• 200g canned or jarred chickpeas, drained
• 12 cherry tomatoes, halved
• ½ red onion, halved and finely sliced
• 50g mixed salad leaves
• 20g fresh chives, finely chopped
• Handful of white grapes, halved
• Small handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, roughly chopped
• Small handful of fresh mint leaves, roughly chopped
• 2½ tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. In a saucepan (with a lid), bring the quinoa to the boil in double its quantity of salted water. Once the water has come to the boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer gently for about 12 minutes, until the water has been absorbed.
2. Remove the lid and let it cool, then mix in the remaining ingredients, retaining some of the herbs to garnish. Season with salt and pepper to taste, transfer to a serving dish and scatter over the remaining herbs.