blueberry & red quinoa bean salad

quinoa — golden. red. black. any difference in taste? not really, but the red quinoa definitely adds a vibrant burst of colour to this simple gluten-free salad. beauty.

check out this organic red quinoa that i recently picked up at one of my fave local markets in town — casel marché. i thought red quinoa would be perfect for this easypeasy salad featuring a hearty bean medley — awesome as a fab side or a main dish. it’s inspired by (and adapted from) a recipe from my fave cooking show on the telly – cbc’s best recipes ever (thanks, kary osmond!).

for another spin on this recipe, check out this previous yumyumyummers post.

the red quinoa:
– bring to a boil: 1 cup (250mL) organic red quinoa & 1.5 cups water in a small pot (no cover)
– then reduce to simmer, cover pot and cook until the water is absorbed into the grains (approx 10-12 min). it’s ready when the grain is translucent.
– allow to cool, then fluff with a fork

the dressing:
in a large bowl, whisk together the following ingredients:
– 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
– 1 tbsp honey
– 1 tbsp organic apple cider vinegar
– pinch of sea salt
– season w/ ground rainbow peppercorns

the salad:
in the same bowl as the dressing, toss together the following ingredients until well combined with the dressing:
– 1 large can (approx 500mL) bean medley (drained, medley includes red kidney beans, romano beans, chickpeas & black-eyed peas)
– 1 cup organic red quinoa (cooked)
– 2 haas avocados (pitted, halved, sliced)
– 1/2 english cucumber (diced)
– 3/4 cup blueberries

adapted from best recipes ever

food styling:
– dish up and serve immediately
– also serves well chilled, or packs nicely as a healthy lunch for the next day!

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