I am hot and hungry. I love all the soups that have been filling my belly, but it’s time for something a little lighter, so I turn to a variation of a favorite from my friend Cody Sanders, she is nutritionist, tri-athlete and the owner of The Lab, the gym where I train and teach yoga (yup I am an instructor, I have been practicing for 9 years and teaching for 5).
Quinoa Salad (2 servings) variation from Cody Sanders
2 C cooked Quinoa
½ c diced celery
½-1 c diced cucumbers (I like it on the more side)
¼ – ½ c chopped green onion
½ c diced carrot
2 T fresh chopped basil (or try whatever you have in your garden, the basil was ready to be pinched and it sounded good)
¼ c minced cilantro
1 T olive oil
1 ½ t lemon juice
1 t lime juice
¼ c pine nuts (these make it irresistible)
Mix it all together and salt to taste. If you have just cooked the Quinoa add it to everything while it is still warm, it brings out the flavors fast. This salad is even better after it has sat for a few hours.
This salad is a meal you will crave, I eat it a couple of times a week in the summer. I don’t like quinoa plain because it tastes like dirt, but in this salad it is delicious!
Good Clean Food 
This looks lovely. And I’m with you on pine nuts – they make lots of things irresistible. I’m wondering if you’re rinsing your quinoa before cooking. If not, that might be behind the dirt taste. Thanks for sharing.
Cracking me up yet again. I love quinoa plain, but that salad looks absolutely irresistable! I was with Little SIs and wondering too if you hadn’t been to rinsing the quinoa but I saw below that clearly you do 😉
xoxo!
well, I was a little dramatic when I said “dirt’ but quinoa does have a very earthy taste to me, still love it.
Definitely earthy! I totally get it!
Want! We make a lot of quinoa with cardamom or lime and cilantro but I think those are about to be replaced!
I love cardamom, but never thought of putting it with quinoa, I bet it is delicious for breakfast
I do rinse it, I actually really love quinoa, but I still don’t like it plain, if I am going to eat it plain I cook it in broth.
I usually broth it, I love that you are thinking outside the box. Or plastic bag. Or whatever your quinoa came in.
Novel concept to avoid the dirt taste. We have been getting a healthy dose of dirt in our lettuce these days, and really I’m quite tired of it. Always looking for a tasty grain salad. And someday, I aspire to instruct yoga, but until then, I’ll keep practicing (well, I’ll dream of it until I get some space back and can avoid being climbed on).
At least it’s good dirt, not sand. Maybe if we tag team yoga instruct it will only take half the time?
I have had to soak my lettuce these days too and it makes me angry, Sometimes I think it is too much to teach yoga, but I am really glad I do it. And I just got hammocks for my yoga room, so learning to teach anti-gravity–it is so fun! As soon as I am ready to teach we should have a session for all of us.
LOVE this idea. Count me in!
Nice to know I’m not the only one who thinks quinoa tastes like dirt!
I guess the soapy taste of the cilantro overpowers the dirt taste! 😉 Actually, I am now able to eat cilantro without it tasting like soap ..such a clean flavor ..but only after we were served guacamole with a Whole Bunch of cilantro in it! So disappointing! But I knew it “was good for u” so i was the martyr and ate bunches of it out so the rest of us could eat the guac ..now i pretty much Love it! And my hubby can stomach little portions as well ..but only little 😉