Salad Ingredients
1 cup cooked quinoa
1 Lebanese cucumber, diced
1 red capsicum, diced
6 cherry tomatoes, halved
1 stalk celery
1/2 cup chickpeas
1 cup spinach leaves
A handful of mint, basil and parsley, chopped finely
A handful or two of almonds or pistachios
Zesty Lemon Dressing
1/3 cup cold-pressed olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt and pepper
Small pinch of cayenne pepper
Instructions
Combine all dressing ingredients together, adjust to your tastebuds
Combine cucumber, capsicum, cherry tomatoes, celery, chickpeas and spinach leaves in a bowl
Add in the herbs and nuts, toss to combine
Add in the quinoa and mix it all through
Toss through the dressing
Enjoy x
NOTE:
I soak my quinoa overnight in some filtered water and a splash of ACV to help remove saponins. Saponins are just a natural insecticide that forms naturally to protect the seed and can give the quinoa a slight bitter taste if not removed. The next day, rinse the quinoa with fresh water then pop into your saucepan with about 1.5 cups of water or broth or stock and cook gently over medium heat for about 15 minutes.