Toasted Quinoa Cucumber Salad
Our twist on a traditional quinoa cucumber salad takes quinoa to the next level by toasting it to crispy perfection to complement the feta and cucumbers.
Ingredients
Crispy Quinoa:
- 2 cups cooked quinoa
- 2 Tbsps avocado oil, or olive oil
- sea salt and ground pepper, to taste
Salad:
- 1 lb. mini cucumbers, chopped
- 1 small red onion, small diced
- 1 cup pomegranate seeds
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves, chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, chopped
- 1/3 cup roasted pumpkin seeds
- 1/2 cup cubed feta cheese
Dressing:
- ¼ cup tahini or sesame paste
- juice & zest of 1 small lemon
- 1 fresh garlic clove
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp ground pepper
- 2 Tbsps of water or add to desired consistency
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees f and place your cooked quinoa on a parchment paper lined rimmed sheet pan.
- Drizzle with oil and season lightly with sea salt and pepper. Stir to combine, then arrange in a very thin layer.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, place all the ingredients for your dressing in a blender and blend until smooth. Add water to your desired dressing consistency.
- Prepare all of your salad ingredients, (reserving feta as topping) and place in a large bowl.
- Once the quinoa is finished toasting, remove from the oven and allow it to cool.
- Add your cooled, crispy quinoa to the salad bowl and toss with the dressing.
- Top with crumbled feta.
Nutrition
Calories: 435kcal, Carbohydrates: 40g, Protein: 14g, Fat: 26g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g, Monounsaturated Fat: 11g, Trans Fat: 0.01g, Cholesterol: 17mg, Sodium: 549mg, Potassium: 662mg, Fiber: 7g, Sugar: 10g, Vitamin A: 650IU, Vitamin C: 16mg, Calcium: 177mg, Iron: 4mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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