Too hot outside to cook? This quinoa and sour cherry salad won't heat up the kitchen too much. The pine nuts and cucumber give it a nice crunch while the cherries provide a tart contrast.
This recipe makes 4 servings:
- 1 cup quinoa, uncooked (190g)
- 2 cups vegetable broth (270 ml)
- 1 medium courgette (150g)
- 1/2 English cucumber (150g)
- 200g fresh sour (or sweet) cherries
- 1 tbsp pine nuts
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1/2 lime
- 1 cup parsely (approximately one handful)
- 1/2 cup mint (approximately 1/2 handful)
- 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
- salt & pepper to taste
1. Rinse quinoa in cold water for about 1 minute and drain well. Place quinoa in a sauce pan with 2 cups of the vegetable broth and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil on high heat, and then turn down the heat to a low simmer and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let it stand covered for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, fluff it with a fork.
2. Half the cherries while removing the pits. Place cherries cut side down on a paper towl to remove their juice.
3. Using a mortar and pestle mash 2 garlic cloves together with a 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt until you get a creamy paste.
4. Cut the courgette in small cubes. Heat 1 tbsp of the olive oil in a skillet on medium heat. Add the courgette and saute for 1-2 minutes until tender but still firm. remove from the heat and add the garlic paste. The residual heat from the pan will cook the raw garlic.
5. Cut the cucumber in to small cubes the same size as the courgette. Finely chop the parsely and mint.
6. In a salad bowl, mix together the chilled quinoa with the sauteed courgette and cubed cucumbers. Add the chopped parsely, mint, 2 tbsp of olive oil, and the juice from half a lime. Season well with freshly ground pepper and salt only if needed. Garnish the salad with sour cherries and pine nuts.
Windmill products used in this recipe
- BiOFAIR Organic Quinoa Grain - Tricolore 500g - Fair Trade
- Biona Organic Oil - Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil Calabria - 1l
