Quinoa Rainbow Salad

Serving Size: 6-8 | Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cooking Time: 20 minutes

---

Ingredients

• 2 tbs + 1 tbs olive oil

• 1 yellow onion chopped finely

• 3 tbs balsamic vinegar

• 1 head garlic minced/grated

• Bunch of parsley chopped

• 3 cups cooked quinoa

• 1 1/2 tsp salt or to taste

Vegetables

• 1 red bell pepper chopped

• 1 zucchini chopped

• 3 cups carrots shredded

• 2 celery stalks chopped finely

• 1 chopped tomato (canned or fresh)

Spices

• 2 tsp cumin powder

• 1/2 tsp red chili powder

• 1 tsp black salt

• 1/4 cup water

• 1 tsp vegetable paste or 1 cube bouillon (optional) | adds a bolder flavor but still good without it.

Directions

1. Cook quinoa per instructions. To cook Quinoa in an Instant Pot, I put the pot on high pressure for 1 minute. 1 cup of quinoa = 1 1/2 cups of water, plus salt, and olive oil. Due natural pressure release, which takes about 10-15 minutes.

2. Heat 2 tbs of oil in a pan and add onions. Sauté in medium flame. Stir a few times, but let them sit so they brown a bit. When they are fully cooked, translucent, and soft, and the balsamic vinegar. Remove them from pan and set aside.

3. Add the rest of the olive oil and garlic. I like to add the veggies that cook first, so in this case, the red bell peppers and zucchini and a dash of salt. Cover and cook for about 4-5 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, add the water, bouillon, the spices and salt in a small bowl and add to the pan along with the shredded carrots and celery. Cook for another 2 minutes.

5. Mix in the quinoa with the parsley. Turn off heat and add the cilantro. Eat as is, or top if off with walnuts, add it to a burrito, or as a hearty side dish.

Notes

Quinoa contains 9 essential amino acids, which makes it a complete protein source.