Coconut Lime Quinoa Salad

No matter what the time of year, I’m always into a multi-coloured, massive salad full of textures and flavour. If you’ve been hanging around here for any length of time, I’m sure you’ve probably caught on to that by now!

As a food blogger, health coach and certified Culinary Nutrition Expert, I know I probably get a lot more excited about vegetables than the average person. But seriously, this Coconut Lime Quinoa Salad is so good, I’m pretty sure it would get ANY hungry individual excited, and possibly coming back for seconds, too! It’s a mix of crunchy, crisp, sweet and savoury, and the subtle coconutty flavour reminds me of sitting under a beach umbrella with the sun beaming down and my toes in the sand.

couple of pro tips if you’re making a big batch ahead of time :

• Let the quinoa cool before you mix it with everything else. This will ensure the other ingredients stay crisp, rather than losing their water due to the warmth from the quinoa’s steam.
• Chop everything into small pieces. Not only does it make food easier to digest (so does chewing!), but it also means you get a little bit of everything in each bite, and that’s the way I like it!
• Use the fresh herbs! Seriously, they taste a million gazillion times better than dried. You can even add more than what’s listed below if you like.

A Coconut Lime Quinoa Salad Recipe

Coconut Lime Quinoa Salad || anti-inflammatory, vegan, gluten-free || Eat Spin Run Repeat

Boring lunches? This is the fix! This Coconut Lime Quinoa Salad is a great make-ahead big-batch recipe that will take your tastebuds to the beach on gloomy days.

ingredients

• 1 cup quinoa, uncooked, + 2 cups water
• 1/2 cup finely sliced red onion
• 1 cup diced mango or peach chunks
• 3 cups cucumber, diced
• 1 cup shredded carrot
• 1 ½ cups shredded purple cabbage or radicchio
• 2 cups shelled edamame, defrosted
• 1/2 cup unsweetened toasted coconut flakes
• ¼ cup roughly chopped almonds
• 2 tbsp each pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds
• ¼ cup finely chopped parsley
• 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh basil
• a few good shakes of black pepper

For the dressing:

• 2 tbsp tahini
• juice of 1 lime
• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup water

instructions

1. Boil the quinoa in water according to package directions. This should take about 12-15 minutes, and all water should be absorbed. Remove it from the heat, fluff with a fork and allow it to cool.
2. Whisk together the dressing in a small bowl and set aside.
3. Prepare all remaining ingredients as indicated above and toss them together in a very large bowl. When the quinoa has cooled, add it to the mixture, along with the dressing. Stir well to coat.
4. While this salad can be enjoyed right away if you like, for best results, let it sit for at least 30 minutes – or overnight if you can. The quantity of dressing used is fairly small relative to the size of the salad because the lime, fresh herbs and peaches do an amazing job at creating flavour and moisture.
5. Feel free to make a double or triple batch of the dressing. It’ll keep well in the fridge for a week and can be used as a dip for raw veggies too.
6. If peaches aren’t in season or you can’t get good ones, swap in mango, pineapple or berries. Even apples work – you’re just looking for a natural sweetness to contrast the savoury flavours from the other ingredients.

Recipe Adapted : Coconut Lime Quinoa Salad @ eat-spin-run-repeat