My go-to salad for entertaining or larger gatherings. I love it because it can be made in advance and assembled just before serving. The dressing made using ready made pesto sauce, making it super easy and delicious. The dried raisins contrast beautifully with the salty cheese. The lentils can be replaced with grilled chicken or prawns. I highly recommend not to skip the roasted tomatoes and onions because they add a lot of juicy depth and flavor to the salad.
Can’t wait to see your creations!
THE Quinoa Salad
Prep time:
Cook time:
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- Ingredients
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BY YASMINE IDRISS
My go-to salad for entertaining or larger gatherings. I love it because it can be made in advance and assembled just before serving. The dressing made using ready made pesto sauce, making it super easy and delicious. The dried raisins contrast beautifully with the salty cheese. The lentils can be replaced with grilled chicken or prawns. I highly recommend not to skip the roasted tomatoes and onions because they add a lot of juicy depth and flavor to the salad.
Ingredients
- 1 cup cooked quinoa
- 1/2 cup cooked black lentils (or other protein such as roasted chicken cubes or grilled prawns)
- 1 big handful crunchy lettuce, torn into medium pieces( (such as iceberg)
- 200g white cheese (feta, halloumi or goats labneh rolled in zaatar)
- 1 - 2 beetroots, cubed
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, roasted
- 1 small onion, sliced
- 2 tbsp pumpkin seeds
- 2 tbsp sunflower seeds
- 2 tbsp dried raisins
- 2-3 small zucchinis, sliced dried herbs, paprika, garlic powder, thyme, salt, and olive oil
- 1/4 cup blanched almonds, chopped and roasted
For the dressing
- 2 tsp good quality ready-made pesto
- 1/2 cup vinaigrette (made with tsp Dijon mustard, salt, lemon or vinegar, and double the ratio in olive oil)
Method
- 1)
Preheat the oven to 200°C.
- 2)
In a baking tray, toss the cubed beetroot, cherry tomatoes, and onion wedges with olive oil, salt, and herbs. Roast in the preheated oven for about 20-25 minutes or until tender.
- 3)
While the vegetables are roasting, prepare the sliced zucchini. Toss the zucchini slices with herbs, salt, and olive oil, then roast until golden brown.
- 4)
In a separate pan, slowly roast the chopped blanched almonds until they turn golden.
- 5)
In a large bowl, combine the cooked quinoa, black lentils, roasted vegetables, roasted zucchini slices, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, dried raisins, and crunchy lettuce.
- 6)
In a small bowl, whisk together the ready-made pesto sauce and vinaigrette to make the dressing.
- 7)
Serve the salad on plates, sprinkle with the roasted almonds, and serve the dressing on the side.