Plant Based Quinoa Salad
Have you noticed the latest food trend seems to be the term “plant based”? Well, this quinoa salad is deliciously plant based and full of nutrient dense goodness!
But let me clear up some questions about a “plant based” diet.
Plant based is not vegetarianism nor does it mean vegan, however, this recipe is both. Those who eat a plant based diet are, more specifically, concerned with eating whole, unprocessed foods. And, yes, they eat mostly plants and grains but meat isn’t out of the question. Read more from The Huffington Post article, here.
Whole30, Keto, and many other diets can also be plant based diets if you do them right. This Quinoa Salad + Lettuce wraps, however, is not Whole30, Paleo, or Keto.
Does that mean it isn’t good for you because it has grains? Heck no! I’m all about balance over here and I do really well with gluten-free grains. It was really fun to enjoy this delicious meal for my lunches throughout the week and be fully satisfied with a plant based meal!
How to make this salad simple
Use an Instant Pot
I’m all about making food the easy way! When I purchased the instant pot last year, it was kinda a game changer when it comes to making meals the easy way.
Recently, I’ve discovered how easy it is to make rice and quinoa in the Instant Pot by just using the “rice” setting. I highly recommend trying yours this way. Be sure to use a 1:1 ratio of quinoa and water.
Since this recipe uses brown rice, it doesn’t work the same as white rice or quinoa, and should not be done with the quinoa.
However, I did do the brown rice and lentils together (just to save time and energy), and it worked pretty well. I would recommend combining those in your pressure cooker for simplicity’s sake. I over estimated on water for this recipe to ensure the lentils didn’t soak too much water up and burn. I did have to strain some water off but everything cooked up really well, so I was happy with the result.
Purchase Pre Made Rice or Quinoa Packets
To make this meal even easier, just buy your rice and quinoa packets at the store. Heck, you might even be able to find pre made lentils.
If you do buy pre made packets, I highly recommend paying attention to your ingredient labels. Costco has the best ingredients in their quinoa/brown rice packets. Uncle Ben’s packets have a lot of “junk” in the ingredient list. There is a brand, Full Circle, which is at Family Fare (West Michigan grocery store), it has a very clean ingredient list.
This would save you a lot of cook time and make this recipe even easier to put together.
The Quinoa Salad Dressing
Mmmmm, mmm, mm! The dressing. It is so darn delish and really seals the deal on this dish.
My only recommendation here, is that you make extra and add to your taste preferences.
Salad Bowls or Lettuce Wraps
Alright. Now for the assembly! After you’ve made your grains, chopped your veggies, and combined with the salad dressing, it’s time to decide how you’ll enjoy your quinoa salad. This salad will keep in the fridge for a solid week so, really, you can enjoy it many different ways.
Buuuuut. I doubt it will last that long. There are a few ways it can be prepared and enjoyed.
- This is a great salad to eat just as is in a bowl with some extra dressing, salt, and pepper.
- Spread it on romaine or butter lettuce leaves, drizzle with fresh squeezed lemon, salt and pepper.
- Scoop it on to your lettuce salad for some extra protein, flavor, and nutrition.
- Eat it with some chicken or salmon to boost the protein.
Overall, it’s a very filling and nutritious salad. It’s very reminiscent of Costco’s quinoa salad, which was the inspiration for this recipe.
Did you find another creative way to prepare your quinoa salad?! I’d love to know about it! Also, you may want to add this to your lunch meal prep arsenal. See more ideas in this article, How to Meal Prep Lunches | 6 Healthy Hacks .
Happy eating!!
-Suzi
Quinoa Salad and Lettuce Wraps
Equipment
- Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 1 cups quinoa
- 1 cups water
- 1/2 cup lentils any color will work
- 1/2 cup brown rice
- 2.5 cups water
- 1 cucumber diced
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
- 1 cup chopped kale
- 1/2 cup avocado oil
- 1/4 cup lemon juice concentrate
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp dried parsley
- 1/2 tsp allspice
- 1/2 tsp dried basil
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp pink himilayan salt
Instructions
- Begin by placing 2 cups of dry quinoa and 2 cups of water in the pressure cooker or instant pot. Set on rice setting (12 minutes, low pressure).
- While the quinoa is cooking, chop all the veggies (pepper, kale, cilantro, cucumber)
- After the veggies are chopped, assemble the dressing in a small bowl/cup (apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, dried herbs, honey, salt).
- Once the quinoa is finished, release the pressure valve and remove from the IP into a large bowl.(do not let it set and do a natural release, it will get very mushy)
- Place the lentils and brown rice with 5 cups of water into the pressure cooker. Set to high pressure/custom setting for 5 minutes. When it is finsihed, release the pressure valve (do not let it naturally release). Drain through a screen and rinse with cold water to stop the lentils from cooking.
- Combine all of the ingredients (grains, veggies, dressing) in the large bowl. Add lemon juice, salt, and pepper to flavor to your preferences.
- Cool in the refridgerator for two hours before serving (the flavors are awesome after it cools).
Notes
