Meatless Monday Quinoa Avocado Salad

With the temperatures getting warmer, I find myself back to making salads for dinner. I like to eat salads for dinner as they are filling without being too rich with too many calories.Truthfully, I am not a great fan of garden salads. I eat them occasionally.I eat plenty of greens. They form a staple part of my everyday diet. But, I like my greens cooked. I enjoy other varieties of salads. I make quinoa black- bean salad, chickpea salad, cucumber salad, carrot salad, cabbage slaws; all of which I enjoy. Tonight I was in a rush. I had some leftover cooked quinoa in my fridge. I decided to make quinoa-avocado salad. It's refreshing, wholesome, filling, quick and easy as you will see in the recipe below.

Servings: 2

Ingredients:

Quinoa: 1 cup
Avocado : 1 large, peeled, pit removed and chopped into medium sized cubes.
Cucumber: 1 small, diced
Tomato: 1 medium, diced
Raisins: 1 tsp
Parsley : 1 tbsp, chopped
Olive oil: 3 tbsp
Lemon juice: 1 tbsp
Salt: 1/4 tsp
Pepper: 1/8 tsp

Method:

Boil 2 cups water in a saucepan with 1/2 tsp salt. When the water comes to a boil, add the washed quinoa, reduce the flame to low, cover the saucepan and let it cook for 15-20 mins. When done all the water should be gone and you should see small curly strands on the quinoa. Fluff it with a fork/ spoon and keep aside to cool.

Toss the chopped avocado with lemon juice and keep aside.

In a salad bowl, add the diced cucumber, tomato, cooled quinoa, raisins, parsley, olive oil, salt and pepper and mix well. Now add the avocados and lightly toss it.

Refrigerate and serve chilled.

Enjoy!

Cooking made easy:

Avocados discolor upon exposure to air. One way to prevent this is to toss it with lemon juice.

A great way to store leftover avocado slices is to wrap it in cling film in such a manner that the entire surface of the avocado is in contact with the cling film. This will also prevent it from getting discolored.

Tip for healthy living:

Avocados and quinoa both belong to the food category known as " super foods". Superfoods are foods that are nutrient-rich and are beneficial to one's health and well-being. Apart from being  gluten free and a good substitute for grain, quinoa is a great source of protein, vitamins, minerals, fiber and antioxidants. Avocados are rich in healthy fats, protein, vitamins, protein and dietary fiber.

Remember, while all the above benefits are true,the term "superfood" has no scientific meaning and also seems to have been coined more with the idea of promoting a more healthy and plant-based diet. 

Food for thought:

Joy is a net of love by which you can catch souls. Mother Teresa