The post Quinoa and Arugula Salad Bowl appeared first on The Viet Vegan.
Wow this week has been so crazy and I’m so behind in work and school it’s not even funny. That’s one of the reasons why I love love love this quinoa and arugula salad bowl. It’s quick (especially if you make the quinoa ahead of time), fulling, full of protein and flavour. I love all the different textures and flavours colliding together in my mouth. It’s like a symphony of different instruments.
Think of the avocado as the bass, it’s mellow and creamy, it’s not super noticeable in flavour but the texture and timbre of the avocado is so essential. Next we have the quinoa, like the trumpets. It’s very noticeable in terms of texture, full of fibre and brass. The salt on the quinoa that gives it some extra flavour, like saxophones. Blending in with the quinoa and make it pop a little. The arugula is like the bassoon, a deep, almost bitter, reedy sound. It adds such a contrast to the subdued avocado, but its bitterness is balanced by the sweetness of the grapes. There’s a deep, juicy sweetness to the grapes, like the french horn.
And last but certainly not least, the bright lemon dressing. So simple and bright, like the sound of the flute section. In the high notes, it’s bright and citrusy, but with the olive oil, there’s the mellow sound of the lower register of the flute.
I love the low register of the flute.
And you can feel free to play around with the ingredients of this salad. Arugula also goes deliciously well with mandarin oranges. Or mango. You are the conductor of this symphony of flavours.
In other news, Blissdom starts today and I’m so so so excited! Stay tuned to my Twitter and Instagram for updates of my time there and all the people I’ll be meeting! Also give a little loving to my fellow OBCers Shareba from In Search of Yummy-ness and Liz from A Sweet Baker.
- ⅓ cup red quinoa, rinsed
- ⅓ cup yellow quinoa, rinsed
- 1 cup water or vegetable broth
- (if not using vegetable broth, add a bay leaf, ½ tsp paprika, ½ tsp salt, and a pinch of cumin to the water)
- 1-2 handfuls of baby arugula, rinsed and dried/spun (basically use as much as you want)
- 4-6 seedless grapes (preferably organic), halved
- ½ avocado, cubed
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- pinch of salt (or to taste)
- Optional: A spoonful of hemp hearts and a dash of flax for extra nutrients and fibre.
- Cook the quinoa ahead of time by combining red and yellow quinoa in 1 cup of broth or water. Add suggested spices/flavours if you're just using water.
- Steam for about 20 minutes over medium low heat in a small, heavy bottomed covered pot.
- Once 20 minutes has passed, remove the pot from heat. The water should be absorbed or evaporated when you take off the lid. Fluff with fork and set aside to cool.
- Once the quinoa is cooled, toss the quinoa with arugula, grapes, and avocado.
- To make the quick dressing, mix together lemon juice and olive oil with a pinch of salt.
- Drizzle some dressing over the salad and mix. Taste and adjust as desired.
- Great for lunches or healthy snacks. To pack to go, I reserve the dressing to add later, and layer ingredients in a large jar in the following order (bottom to top): quinoa, hemp hearts, grape halves, avocado (lightly coated in lemon juice to keep from browning), and arugula) To eat, just toss in dressing, shake/stir, and nom! (Works best when you have extra space in the jar)
The post Quinoa and Arugula Salad Bowl appeared first on The Viet Vegan.
