detox – Page 2 – Nyoutritious

July 7, 2017

Exotic Curry Quinoa Salad

When in doubt, quinoa salad! A big fresh bowl of chopped veggies mixed with fluffy quinoa and a good dressing is, as all my friends can testify, one of my favourite to-go dishes for entertaining, potlucks, picnics & barbeques. You just can’t go wrong. It is filling, completely plant based and bursting with amazing nutrition. And if you’re not a fan of quinoa, you can easily substitute it for other grains, such as couscous, millet, buckwheat or brown/black rice. My preference for quinoa stems from the fact that it, compared to other grains, has a higher protein content (8 gm per cup) while also packing a good amount of fibre, and it’s gluten free. And I love the taste and texture – but cooking it right to get it perfectly fluffy is essential! (see instructions below!).

The curry powder and sweet raisins give this salad a great middle eastern twist and reminds me of exotic holidays. The best thing is that you can ‘dress it up’ by adding pomegranate seeds, hummus, falafels & tahini dressing… or whatever strikes your fancy!

Exotic Curry Quinoa Salad

Author: Nyoutritious

Recipe type: salad

Prep time: 5 mins

Cook time: 20 mins

Total time: 25 mins

Serves: serves 2-3

Ingredients

Quinoa

240 ml (1 cup) uncooked quinoa, rinsed + drained
480 ml (2 cups) water
small handful (about ¼ cup) raisins
½ large butternut squash (sweet potato works as well)
large handful fresh coriander, chopped (25 gm)
small handful fresh mint, chopped (10 gm)
2 tsp curry powder (I used a medium spicy one. If you have very spicy, use less)
salt + pepper

Tahini Dressing

4 tbsp tahini
80 ml (1/3 cup) fresh lemon juice
80 ml (1/3 cup) water - or more, depending on how thin you like it
½ tsp curry powder
¼ tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
salt + pepper to taste

Toppings: toasted walnuts, pomegranate seeds, hummus, falafel, tahini dressing, rocket leaves

Instructions

Preheat oven to 170C
Bring water to a boil in a pot. Once boiling, add uncooked quinoa and a pinch of salt. Cook over medium heat and set a timer for 10 minutes.
While the quinoa is cooking, peel and cut the butternut squash into pieces, drizzle with a bit of oil, salt + pepper and roast in the oven until soft (about 10-15 mins depending on how large the pieces are).
After 10 minutes of cooking your quinoa, most of the water should be close to gone and the quinoa beginning to soften. Once the water is gone (but not sticking to the bottom of the pot), turn off the heat, add curry powder and raisins, give it a quick stir, and put a lid on the pot. Leave the pot to sit and steam for 15-20 mins while you prep the rest of the salad.
Whisk together all dressing ingredients and add more lemon or salt + pepper if needed.
Once the butternut squash is done, remove from oven and leave to cool while you chop the fresh herbs.
lift the lid off the quinoa and as you stir with a spoon you should have a light and fluffy, perfectly cooked quinoa.
Add the quinoa, roasted squash + fresh herbs to a large bowl and combine well.
Serve on a bed of rocket/spinach and top with pomegranates, walnuts and tahini dressing or your toppings of choice.

Healthy Eating

by Regina

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Tag: detox

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