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Red Quinoa and Sweet Potato Salad with nuts

You know how much I love quinoa by now! I make it in every season with that season’s produce and I think I will never get tired of it.  This Red Quinoa Salad might be a great option for your guests, and special events like Thanksgiving or New Year’s Eve dinners with its fancy look and tangly delicious taste.

Course Salad

Cuisine Ayurveda

Keyword Ayurveda

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 4 people

Calories 380kcal

Equipment

• Pot or Saucepan
• Baking Sheet
• Small Skillet
• Cutting Board
• Sharp Knife
• Citrus Juicer
• Whisk
• Measuring Cups

Ingredients

• 1 cup Red quinoa, washed very well, drained and soaked 1 hour in warm water
• 1/2 cup Chopped fresh parsley, mint or coriander leaves
• 1/3 cup Optional: Chopped green fresh onions
• 1 Medium size sweet potato(or carrot or pumpkins), chopped into little cubes
• 2 tbsp Pine nuts,
• 2 tbsp Sunflower seeds
• 1 Avocado, cut into little cubes
• 1 Lime juice
• 1/3 cup Pomegranate molasses or heavy-thick balsamic vinegar
• 1/3 cup Olive oil
• Pink Salt
• 1 1 tbs dried mint 
• Optional: Spice mix for sweet potato: 1/4 tsp of each: cumin-coriander-fennel-cardamom seeds freshly grounded into powder
• 1 1 tbs Pomegranate seeds to decorate

Instructions

• Set oven to 180degrees celsius. Place sweet potato cubes in an oven tray, sprinkle olive oil, salt, pepper and spice mix. Bake them until they soft, about 20 minutes. Keep aside
• Wash and drain soaked quinoa and add into a pot, add water to cover plus some more, add salt and bring to boil, simmer low heat until they become soft but not mushy, about 10 minutes. Drain and keep aside
• Toast pine nuts and sunflower seeds in a dry pan, until they are lightly browned
• Prepare the sauce: lime juice, pomegranate molasses or balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt, dried mint, mix well
• Get a big bowl and add quinoa, chopped herbs, pine nuts and seeds, avocado cubes, sweet potato cubes, and the sauce. Mix them gently using 2 big forks or spoons, fluffing the ingredients to melt into each other without making them too mashed
• Taste and adjust salt, lime or olive oil. It should not be too dry but not too oily!
• Sprinkle pomegranate seeds and decorate with mint leaves

Frequently Asked Questions

This winter version is of course with butternut squash (or you can use pumpkin), sweet potato, leeks and herbs. You can serve warm or cold, a delicious nutritious meal by itself or as a side dish to your protein choice like chicken, fish or meats. If you add some chickpeas, it would strengthen its protein content, from plants side!

Ingredients:

– 1/2 leek, chopped into slices (about 1/2 cup of chopped slices)

– Half of a small butternut squash or a slice of pumpkin (about 1 cup of cut pieces)

– Sweet Potato, cut into cubes/slices, 1 cup

– Quinoa, 2 cups, boiled in water

– 6 tbs of olive oil

– 1/2 medium onion, finely chopped

– 1tsp pepper paste or tomato paste

– 1 cup of fresh parsley and mint, finely choped

– 1 tsp curry powder or any other spice you like (cumin, turmeric, herbal salts, etc)

– 1 tsp garlic powder

– 1/2 tsp dried mint

– Salt and pepper to taste

– 2 tbs pine nuts or almond flakes

– 1tbs pommegranade sour sauce or balsamic vinegar

– 1tbs of pommegrande pieces to decorate (optional)

Method:

– Place sweet potato, butternut squash and leek into an oven proof dish or oven tray lined with baking paper, and drizlle 3tbs of the olive oil and spices like curry power, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Mix them all and make sure all veggies are covered with spices.

Method:

– Place sweet potato, butternut squash and leek into an oven proof dish or oven tray lined with baking paper, and drizlle 3tbs of the olive oil and spices like curry power, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Mix them all and make sure all veggies are covered with spices.

I call this a Veggy SPA! So give them a nice massage with olive oil and spices!

Bake them at 180 degrees celcius for about 30 minutes, check to see if vegetables are soft enough (if your fork can gently get through).

– Meanwhile using a fine mesh strainer, rinse quinoa with cool water until the water runs clear. Combine quinoa and water in a saucepan. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and continue to cook covered for 15 minutes or until all water has been absorbed. Usually, 1 cup of quinoa requires 2 cups of water.

– Chop your greens, parsley and fresh mints

– Place your pine nuts into a small pan and toast them until lighly browned.

– Add 3tbs of olive oil into a pan and sautee the onions at medium heat until they are soft and add the pepper paste and dried mint and stir a few more minutes.

– Add the cooked quinoas to onions and mix well.

– Turn off the heat and add the herbs, pommegrande sour sauce or balsamic vinegar and vegetables. Mix them all gently, without smashing the potatoes and squash!

Serve warm right after or you can also keep in fridge for the next days!

Mix olive oil with preferably pomegranate molasses (which you can find in Turkish or Arabic stores) or use lemon juice plus a dense balsamic vinegar