Simple Detox Quinoa Salad

Ingredients You'll Need

This simple quinoa salad is made with a handful basic ingredients and a simple dressing for flavor.

• Quinoa - The base of this recipe. Fun fact, quinoa is largely thought of as a whole grain but is technically a seed!
• Green onions - For delicious flavor and nutrients.
• Cucumbers - For hydrating crunch.
• Parsley or cilantro - Both are delicious and have been linked to helping the body detox metals in some studies.
• Extra virgin olive oil - For a delicious and flavorful dressing.
• Lemon - Lemons are high in vitamin C and add tons of bright flavor to salads, so you bet we'll be squeezing some fresh lemon juice into our quinoa salad.
• Garlic - We'll add some fresh garlic into the dressing for flavor.
• Honey - To sweeten the dressing and cut that garlicky bite.
• Salt & pep - For flavor, as always!

Substitutions & Variations

This easy quinoa salad recipe is beautifully versatile and can be modified in many delicious ways.

• Quinoa - Swap quinoa for another hearty grain such as farro, wheat berries, barley, oat groats, or even rice.
• Pack it with protein - Round out this salad with some protein such as salmon, chickpeas (so good!!), chicken, tempeh, or your favorite protein.
• Add any produce - I actually think pretty much any ingredient would go well in this, so feel free to use up those other veggies, herbs, and fruits in your fridge. Roasted veggies like these delightful roasted radishes would be a tasty addition! Cilantro, dill, diced avocado (not too ripe), chopped apples, arugula, spinach, or bell peppers would all be delicious.
• Seeds and nuts - You've gotta love a little crunch, right?! Toss in some nuts or seeds, such as sunflower seeds, walnuts, pepitas, slivered almonds, cashews, flaxseeds, or hemp seeds.

My latest obsession has been with adding chickpeas, diced avocado (just ripe so it cuts nicely into cubes), and pepitas. YUMMY.

How to Make This Salad

In just a few simple steps, you'll have a healthy quinoa salad that you can keep in the fridge for meals throughout the week!

Step 1: Cook quinoa according to package instructions.

Step 2: While the quinoa is cooking, dice cucumbers, slice green onions, and chop your parsley or cilantro. Add all salad ingredients to a large bowl.

Step 3: Make the dressing! First, mince your fresh garlic (either super finely chop it, or I love to grate it on my microplane). Then combine olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, honey, salt, and pepper in a mason jar. Shake vigorously to combine, then pour into the salad ingredients.

Step 4: Thoroughly toss the salad together to mix all ingredients and coat everything in the salad dressing. Yum!

Hint: The quinoa will be hot if you're cooking it just before you make the salad. Allow it to cool slightly so that your cucumbers don't get warm, and herbs and onions don't wilt. To speed up the cooling process, transfer your quinoa to a bowl immediately once it's done cooking, and stir occasionally to allow steam to escape.

FAQ

Can quinoa salad be frozen?

Some quinoa salads may be okay to freeze, such as those made with roasted vegetables. Salads made with fresh ingredients, however, don't stand up as well to being frozen which is why I don't recommend freezing this particular quinoa salad. Many of the ingredients container water (e.g. cucumbers), so freezing them would change the texture completely.

What goes with quinoa salad?

This salad is so versatile and can accompany many dishes as a side! I highly recommend serving it alongside lemon dill salmon, chicken, or your favorite protein.