Quinoa Salad

Quinoa Salad Video (scroll down for recipe)

I love quinoa salad. It’s the perfect solution to my inherent laziness – the laziness I fight so hard against but sometimes, like all better foes, it wins and I find myself sprawled out across the room, legs on the couch, face on the floor, watching “Video Chan 5” flashing continuously on the TV screen, and Daisy eating an empty peanut butter jar at my side. I’d command her to bring me my phone so I could call for pizza, but it wouldn’t work. Eventually, I’d die from my inability to conquer laziness and get up to eat, drink, or even pee. Daisy would wander around the house for a few hours, whining, then eventually eat my face. Finally Chris would come home from work and cry and cry and cry until he died, and then Daisy would eat his face, too. So sad.

This is the scene you’d see if it weren’t for quinoa salads. They are literally lifesavers to the hungry and lazy people of the world. Make a huge bowl of this one hour when you’re feeling jaunty, then snack on it the rest of the week when you’re feeling not-so-jaunty. Or swap out the word “jaunty” for “cool” and “not-so-jaunty” for “sickeningly-hot-and-sweaty” and it works great, too!

Quinoa salad recipe – printable

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Quinoa Salad

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4.9 from 8 reviews

  • Yield: 4-6 1x

Ingredients

Scale
  • 3/4 cup quinoa (red or white)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 4 green onions
  • 1 zucchini
  • 1 ear of corn
  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon coriander
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
  • 4 teaspoons red wine vinegar
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon crushed dried oregano
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
  • 1/4 cup toasted pecans or other nuts
  • 34 radishes, thinly sliced
  • thinly sliced fresh jalapeno

Instructions

  1. Cook the quinoa: Put it into a small sieve and immerse in a bowl of water; soak for 15 minutes. Drain and put into a pot with the 1/2 t salt and 1 1/4 cups water. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes.
  2. Dice the zucchini and cut the corn kernels from the cob. Toss together in a large bowl with the oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, chili powder, coriander, and cayenne pepper to coat.
  3. Spread onto a baking sheet along with the whole green onions and broil for 5-10 minutes or until softened and beginning to brown. Stir half-way through.
  4. Remove. Slice green onions and add to a bowl with the other vegetables.
  5. Once the quinoa is cooked and all the water absorbed, combine with the vegetables.
  6. Add the vinegar, garlic, oregano, and pepper to the hot mixture and stir gently to combine.
  7. Serve warm or cold.
  8. Add cilantro, pecans, radishes, and jalapenos just before serving.

Notes

While quinoa is a good source of protein on its own, this meal could be made “more complete” by the addition of canned tuna, cooked chicken, or shrimp.

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24 Comments

  1. masak kue on July 12, 2012 at 2:47 am

    nice bu… jempol buat anda…. exelent food

  2. Lisa Gerber on July 15, 2012 at 8:52 pm

    Hi Hilah!
    We made this for a potluck pretty much exactly as described. Super easy, delicious, and a hit at the potluck. Thanks! My husband and I subscribe to you via iTunes/apple Tv we watch every episode.

    So we wanted to say hi!

    • Hilah on July 16, 2012 at 7:27 pm

      Hi Lisa!
      I’m so glad you had success with the recipe! I love taking this to potlucks. Thanks so much for writing and taking the time to comment.
      -h

  3. Anna on July 19, 2012 at 5:04 pm

    hey hilah 🙂
    i just wanted to tell you how much i love your page. see, your recipes are pretty awesome by themselves, but you videos are just what makes it all so wonderful! your humor and just fun and relaxed attitude have made me want to try out recipes i never would’ve thought myself capable of cooking. that’s a huge step from my usual every-day-the-same-sandwich 😉 and the best thing is: my boyfriend, friends, and family love my/your food, too!! so, thank you and please keep up the great work!
    greetings from germany and all the best,
    anna






    • Hilah on July 19, 2012 at 5:22 pm

      Hello Anna!
      Thank you so much. It is wonderful to hear that you’re cooking more and more unusual things! I’m glad that your loved ones appreciate your cooking, too. Always nice to be appreciated, so thanks again for writing.
      hugs,
      h

  4. Jesse on July 23, 2012 at 1:29 am

    Hey Hilah!

    Recently found your website through a link to your Chic-Fil-Gay video. And I had to see more from you! I’ve been looking for a recipe like this for my first foray into quinoa. So I’m really excited to try this and many other recipes. I’ve been a vegetarian my whole life, and my husband likes the meat quite a bit…We’re newlyweds, and I’m trying to learn how to cook more meat dishes for him. So having your fun, easy-to-follow videos is really going to be a huge help to me. Can’t wait to try lots of your recipes!

    • Hilah on July 23, 2012 at 8:55 am

      Hi Jesse!
      I’m glad you found me, too! I was a vegetarian married to a meat eater for a few years and it can be tricky sometimes. If you haven’t seen it, the “vegetarian” category of episodes on here has a few recipes that can easily be converted from veg to meat and back again. That might inspire you.
      I just checked out your blog and LOVE those succulent photos from the Madrid Botanical Gardens! I tried to leave a comment but for as technically savvy as I may appear (har-har-har) I still don’t know how to do that on blogspot sites. Anyway, I love botanical gardens, too. It was really exciting when I went to Barcelona and saw a bald cypress tree in their botanical park because the sign on it said it was transplanted from Texas!
      Thanks for writing!

      • Jesse on July 31, 2012 at 6:48 am

        Hello again! Just wanted to let you know I made this recipe. I used some veggies I picked up at the farmers market and absolutely love it! I feel like this is a dish I’m going to frequently have prepared in my fridge for my lunches – I’ve eaten so much of it already.

        Thanks for checking out my blog – we spent a little time in the Barcelona gardens, too. Amazing! You have to work a little for that one…since it’s, like, on a mountain.






        • Hilah on August 2, 2012 at 5:55 pm

          Okay, unrelated, but maybe you’ll see this. I just went to the Denver botanical garden and Ho.Lee.Shit. It was the best one I’ve ever seen. If you’re ever in Denver, be sure to check it out!

  5. Jeff on July 23, 2012 at 8:32 pm

    Came across your website through a link to Chick-Fil-Gay. Always been a big meat eater, but this salad sounded great and it’s hotter than blazes in Chicago. So, made a batch tonight. Wow, tasty and filling. Can’t wait to try a lot of your other recipes. Also, love the videos that accompany them.






    • Hilah on July 24, 2012 at 8:48 am

      Thanks so much, Jeff! I’m really glad you liked it. It’s one of my favorites.

  6. Bryan on July 26, 2012 at 3:39 pm

    Going to try this tonight. I’ve had a bag of white quinoa just sitting in my pantry and have had no idea how to cook it. This looks easy and delicious and won’t kill my diet. I am probably going to love the jalapeños the most as I love my food spicy. Your chix-fil-gay sandwich is next on my list of things to cook. My partner and I will be so excited to recreate that flavor without lining the pockets of bigots. Thanks for all your recipes and look forward to all your further ones.






    • Hilah on July 27, 2012 at 8:48 am

      That’s great to hear, Bryan! I was really happy with the way this recipe came out. I love fresh jalapenos in just about anything.
      Let me know how you like it and the CFG!

  7. Corinne on August 7, 2012 at 2:14 pm

    I made this last night and it is awesome! It came out great, even though what I thought was chili powder was garam masala…apparently labeling jars is a good idea. Whatever though, it was still strangely awesome. Can’t wait to make it normally.

    p.s. All your recipes rock – seriously I make at least one Hilah recipe a day! (Zucchini pancakes for breakfast every day this week!)






    • Hilah on August 7, 2012 at 5:30 pm

      Oh, dude, Corinne, garam masala worked great, I bet! I want to try that on purpose now.
      Thanks for writing! Glad you like the zucchini pancakes and what?! Breakfast?! Yes, I’ll be doing that, too, soon. 🙂

  8. Maya on August 5, 2013 at 1:25 pm

    Hey Hilah !

    Thank you so much for this delicious recipe. I just ate the whole thing with my boyfriend, and now I wish I’d made a double batch.

    I really love your videos, I watch and rewatch them all the time (and get drunk watching your cocktail videos too).

    You’re awesome !

    Maya.






    • Hilah on August 5, 2013 at 1:29 pm

      Hi Maya!
      I’m so glad it was a hit in your household! Thank you for writing. Your comment just put a big smile on my face. 😀

  9. Angiedjoe on August 6, 2013 at 3:17 pm

    Hi Hilah. I just saw our youtube for this quinoa salad. Will try it today. However i have a question. Can you freeze the salad ( thinking to make alot to save sometime). If not, how long can u keep this in the fridge? I plan to make for the whole 2 weeks meal. Thank u so much for your response

    • Hilah on August 6, 2013 at 3:55 pm

      Hi Angie!
      The salad will keep a week in the fridge. Try cooking double the amount of quinoa you need and then freezing half of it. Thaw overnight in the fridge when your’e ready to make another batch of salad! 🙂

  10. Pier on September 1, 2013 at 4:46 pm

    Pretty good for a healthy meal, added some broiled fish on top as I do a week long tour through your kitchen.






    • Hilah on September 2, 2013 at 4:59 pm

      That is a great suggestion, Pier!

  11. David on April 27, 2014 at 9:00 pm

    @ 2:37 into the video you said ‘Cornhole”…. lol…. I’m only 12.. and I find that funny as shit! lol….
    CORNHOLE… Ha, ha, ha…. You’re something else you Sexy Texan…! lol…

  12. David on April 27, 2014 at 9:07 pm

    I’ve grown up a lot since my last comment.. now I’m 53, that looks delicious and I can hardly wait to try it, thank you so much for sharing this salad recipe… I’ve never tried Quinoa and been wanting to… now I know how to put it to use in my diet! Thanks so much Hilah, love your stuff…!






    • Hilah on April 28, 2014 at 3:36 pm

      Hope you try it, David! You’ll like it, I’m sure. 🙂

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