Quinoa, cranberry, parsley and cucumber salad

Written by Catherine Saxelby on Monday, 28 April 2014.
Tagged: ancient grains, dairy-free, egg-free, gluten-free, grains, healthy cooking, healthy recipes, high fibre, low fat, low GI, low salt, quinoa, salad, vegetarian, wheat-free, whole grain, whole grains

Ready In: 30 mins
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cooking Time: 15 mins
Serves: 8 as a side

Quinoa, cranberry, parsley and cucumber salad

Use quinoa as the base but enliven it with the stronger flavours of cranberries, mint, parsley and pistachio nuts. It's a winner!

Ingredients

¾ cup quinoa
½ cup (100 g) dried cranberries
1 small Lebanese cucumber, cut lengthwise, deseeded and diced
1 cup fresh parsley leaves
1 cup fresh mint leaves roughly chopped
½ cup pistachio, roughly chopped
FOR THE DRESSING:
1 lemon, juiced
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, crushed
Freshly-ground black pepper

Nutrition per serve

900 kilojoules (215 Calories), 12 g fat (including 2 g saturated fat), 20 g carbohydrate (including 10 g sugars), 4 g fibre and 20 mg sodium.

Read our nutrition rating system.

Directions

Place quinoa and 1 ½ cups cold water in a saucepan over high heat. Cover. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low. Simmer for 10 to 12 minutes or until water has absorbed. Drain. Rinse. Transfer to a large bowl.
Add in cranberries, diced cucumber, parsley, mint and pistachios. Before serving, pour over dressing and toss well to combine.
To make dressing: Place lemon juice and oil in a screw-top jar. Season with pepper. Secure lid. Shake to combine.

Variations

No cranberries? Just use currants or sliced dried apricots instead.
No pistachios? Substitute any other nut– almonds or pecans or walnuts are nice.
Toss in ½ cup sunflower seeds.
Not a vegetarian? Add 2 cups of cooked chicken pieces in with the cranberries and toss to combine.