Makes 8 cups
3 cups cooked quinoa
2 cups diced English cucumber (skin on)
1 cup diced tomatoes
1 cup diced red onion
1 avocado, peeled diced
1/2 cup roughly chopped cashews
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup chopped parsley
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, let sit and marinate for 15 minutes. Adjust salt and pepper to your liking before serving.
Quinoa can be your canvas. This dish works wonderfully as a light dinner, side dish or even as an appetizer. Use it in place of rice or potatoes. Quinoa is a whole grain and a complete protein- a rare combination. A serving of quinoa can provide 24 grams of protein.
As with most of my recipes, I want you to use these ingredients as suggestions. Be creative! Don’t have avocados in the house, but have some leftover string beans? Cut them up and put them in. Don’t like cashews? Walnuts are great. So are sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds. How about some dill instead or in addition to the parsley or fresh mint? It’s really fun to let your imagination run wild in the kitchen.