I love a good salad – especially one that can be made the night before and only gets better with age! This is one of those salads, prefect for making the night before and packing into a container for you to give to the hubby to take to work or to pack into a picnic basket for a fun morning at the park.

I love taking lunch to the park because it means that I can eat my lunch whilst I watch my little ones enjoying themselves. But it also means that it doesn’t matter if they fall asleep on the way home because lunch has been had by all and then I can actually get stuff done whilst they nap.

Quinoa is something that is a bit of a craze at the moment. 

Quinoa is very unique in that it is not only seriously packed full of vitamins and minerals, but it is one of the few sources of ‘complete protein’. Being a complete protein means that quinoa contains all of the amino acids that we cannot actually produce in our body ourselves (these are known as the ‘essential’ amino acids).

Quinoa also contains no gluten (perfect for coeliacs or those with gluten intolerance), and is often grown free from chemicals as the plant itself produces a natural insecticide called ‘saponin’. Saponin is what can give quinoa it’s bitter taste, but can be easily removed if the quinoa is soaked, and rinsed well, before use.

Some of the nutrients that quinoa contains include: iron (carries oxygen around the body to produce energy), magnesium (required for the function and growth of all cells), manganese and calcium (bone and nerve health) as well as folate (component of DNA). This amazing seed also contains both types of fibre, keeping our gastrointestinal tract happy and fully functioning.

So basically, it’s great for you and your little ones!

QUINOA SALAD

500 grams of quinoa

1 red capsicum

200 grams of baby spinach

200 grams of greek yoghurt

1 tablespoon of olive oil

2 tablespoons of lemon juice

1 teaspoon of crushed garlic

1 teaspoon of coriander

1 teaspoon of cumin

1/2 red onion

1/4 cup of sultanas

1/4 cup of coriander leaves

1/4 cup of mint leaves

Rinse your quinoa then cook quinoa using twice the amount of liquid i.e. 1 cup of quinoa, 2 cups of water. Bring to boil in pot, then reduce to simmer with lid on. 

After 15 minutes or so after all the water has absorbed and quinoa is tender (do not stir too much at this point), turn off the heat and cover pot with a clean, dry tea towel. Snap the lid back on and cover with the tea towel. Let sit for another 10-15 minutes. The tea towel absorbs all of the steam from the quinoa and THIS is what makes it fluffy.