25 Jun Red Quinoa with Mint, Endive & Cranberries – Gluten-free, dairy-free

Fast, easy and healthy, this will soon become your “go to” weeknight meal. Leftovers pack up well for lunch the next day!

Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Soy-free, Vegetarian 
Makes 2 servings
¾ cup red quinoa, rinsed (or ⅓ cup red and ⅓ cup white)
1½ cups water
⅛ cup of scallion, ends removed, thinly sliced into ½-inch diagonals
⅓ cup almonds, slivered and toasted
½ cup Belgian endive (or fennel), thinly sliced lengthwise
⅛ cup dried cranberries (fruit juice-sweetened), coarsely chopped
⅛ cup pumpkin seeds (or sunflower seeds)
⅛ cup mint, chopped
½ teaspoon Himalayan salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons sunflower oil (or avocado oil, olive oil)
2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar (or lime juice)

Directions:
Add the quinoa and water to a 2-quart saucepan and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered tightly until the quinoa is tender but still delicately crunchy, about 10 minutes. Drain the quinoa and return it to the pot. Cover and let rest for 5 minutes (the heat should be off at this point). Remove cover and fluff it with a fork. Allow to cool to room temperature. Transfer quinoa to a 2½-quart mixing bowl; add the scallions, endive, almonds, cranberries, pumpkin seeds, mint, salt and pepper; gently combine with a wooden spoon.

Vinaigrette
Whisk together the oil with the vinegars. Pour the dressing over the salad and gently mix it in. Let rest 10 minutes.

Serving suggestions:   Serve with steamed asparagus or French green beans with lemon.
VPK: Quinoa is a little drying and is great for Kapha and Pitta; vata should apply liberal amounts of the oil vinaigrette; Vata may also substitute “vata tamarind honey dressing”.

About:  I recommend that you do not substitute 100% white quinoa; yes, it is cheaper, but in this recipe it will taste very bland. The white balsamic vinegar adds sweetness (and sour). If you substitute with another vinegar, you will need to add a sweetener to the dressing such as honey, maple syrup, or coconut sugar.

Quinoa contains sapponins. A May 2014 study by the journal of Food Science concluded that saponins have potential anti-inflammatory properties due to their ability to suppress the release of inflammatory cytokines. ¹

More recipes like this in “The Essential Ayurvedic Cookbook” © by Lois Leonhardi.

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¹ Journal of Food Science, 2014 May;79(5):H1018-23. doi: 10.1111/1750-3841.12425. Epub 2014 Apr 8. Anti-inflammatory activity of saponins from quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) seeds in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages cells by Yao Y, Yang X, Shi Z, Ren G. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24712559