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Thursday 20 September 2012

Sushi-Inspired Quinoa Salad



Do you love sushi? Who doesn't? My absolute favourite thing about sushi is the pickled ginger. It's sweet, it's salty, it's ginger-y (obviously) and it's just all around delicious! Since most sushi restaurants are a little skimpy on the pickled ginger, I'm often left wanting more. My quinoa salad satisfies this perpetual craving.


   


The celery brings the crunch factor, the craisins make it sweet, the dressing is refreshing, and the quinoa is...well it's quinoa. Need I say more? Plus, this salad is pink and green, which is my favourite colour combination.
 
Ingredients:
Please note: The amounts are approximate. I switch it up a little each time I make it.
1 cup uncooked quinoa
2 TBSP red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp rice vinegar
1/8- 1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp soya sauce (optional)
1/3 cup to 1/2 cup pickled ginger (depending on how much you love pickled ginger!)
1/3 cup Craisins (or other dried cranberries)
20 almonds, sliced
1-2 stalks of celery, diced

Cook quinoa according to directions on package. Let cool, then refrigerate until cold. Add red wine vinegar, lemon juice, rice vinegar, salt, and soya sauce. Mix together. Then stir in pickled ginger, Craisins, almonds and celery. Refrigerate until ready to eat. Serve chilled.

Couscous version





Variation:
Not a fan of quinoa? You can make this salad with couscous instead, but you would probably need to use about 2 cups of dry couscous.








15 comments:

  1. Yum! I like the addition of cranberries. I'm going to try this!

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    Replies
    1. Yay! If you do, I'd love to hear how you like it.

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  2. This looks delightfully satisfying. I imagine the flavors are bright and savory. I'm copying this recipe right now. Thanks.

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    Replies
    1. Yes, it has a very refreshing type of taste to it. Let me know if you end up making it.

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  3. I'm not a hardcore sushi eater at all but I absolutely love the pickled ginger the best also. This looks like a tasty dish--and healthy. Thanks for sharing it.

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  4. I'm definitely not a hardcore sushi eater but I too love the pickled ginger the most. This looks like a tasty and healthy dish. Thanks for sharing it!

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  5. One of these days I should actually break out that bag of quinoa that my mother in law gave me that's been sitting in the pantry...This sounds pretty yummy (minus the ginger for me).

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    Replies
    1. Quinoa is great. So healthy and versatile. If you're not into pickled ginger, you could try using fresh ginger...unless of course you just don't like ginger. :)

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    2. I'm a ginger who doesn't like ginger. Go figure...

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  6. I'm a little intimidated that you are such recipe genius, but this looks awesome! And of course, there is my obsession with sushi, so this is perfect! Pinning now :)

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    Replies
    1. I'm the furthest thing from a recipe genius. Notice how this recipe doesn't actually involve any cooking (unless you count cooking the quinoa, but that really doesn't count).

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    2. It you turn on the stove, it counts. It so counts :)

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  7. That looks delicious! I absolutely love sushi so this obviously looks amazing!

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  8. Thanks for linking up at our Gluten Free Fridays party! We had some fabulous entries this week! Our gluten free blogger directory is growing too! I have tweeted and pinned your entry to our Gluten Free Fridays board on Pinterest! :) See you next Friday! Cindy from vegetarianmamma.com

    ReplyDelete

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