Simple Quinoa Salad

Simple Quinoa Salad

Say yes to batch cooking! This simple quinoa salad is super healthy, flexible, inexpensive, gluten-free, and time-saving. You can make it from scratch in less than 30 minutes, including the homemade dressing. Once prepared, just store your batch in the fridge and enjoy for the next few days. Try it today! 

SIMPLE QUINOA SALAD

Photo Slideshow

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SIMPLE QUINOA SALAD

Ingredients

TO MAKE THE SALAD: 

  • cooked quinoa (made from 1 cup of dry quinoa) 
  • 2 cups shredded red cabbage
  • 2 cups shredded carrots
  • 2 cups chopped celery  
  • 1 cup finely chopped fresh parsley (or cilantro)

TO MAKE THE SALAD DRESSING: (You’ll be able to dress 2 generous servings of salad with the following measurements, 1 part = 1 shot glass)

  • 1 part Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 1/2 part Tamari sauce (I use wheat/gluten-free)
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard 
  • Optional: crushed garlic to taste (I like a lot!)

SIMPLE QUINOA SALAD

Directions

TO COOK QUINOA:

  • Place quinoa into a fine sieve strainer, and rinse with cold water for about 2 minutes, or until the water runs clear (this step matters because quinoa contains bitter compounds called Saponins, which lather up in the water, like soap suds, so we want to make sure your quinoa doesn’t taste bitter).
  • Cook quinoa in 2 cups of water. 
  • Bring to boil with a lid on, and simmer for 12-15 minutes with a lid on. 
  • Fluff cooked quinoa with a fork and transfer into your salad mixing bowl. 

TO MAKE THE SALAD:

  • In a large bowl: mix the cooked quinoa, shredded cabbage, shredded carrots, and chopped celery and parsley (or the fresh herbs of your choice).
  • Store in a tightly sealed food box in the fridge and consume within 5 days.
TO MAKE THE DRESSING:
 
  • Put all of the dressing ingredients into a mason jar, close the lid, and shake with both hands until all ingredients combine fully. 
  • Store the jar with your salad dressing on your kitchen counter in a darker area and use when ready to have your quinoa salad serving. 

VARIATION TIPS

  • Swap red cabbage for white if you can’t get red (they are both great but red offers extra nutritional benefits).
  • Swap Tamari sauce for Coconut Aminos (soy-free) or organic miso paste.
  • Feel free to add other fresh herbs (dill, mint, basil).
  • You can replace any veggies for anything you like, it works best if you make the salad with veggies of similar texture (harder vs softer). 

Ahoy, I'm Eva!

Using my holistic nutrition savvy and psycho-spiritual point of view, I help you find and unapologetically follow your own nutritional mojo.

Simple Bean Chili

Simple Bean Chili

Say yes to batch cooking! This simple bean chili recipe feeds both, vegetarians & meat lovers. The recipe makes a big batch (approx. 12L) of this delicious bean chili so that you can stock up the freezer for weeks ahead. Just invest 60 minutes on making it, divide into food boxes, throw into the freezer and know that a yummy, nutritious meal is waiting for you at home. Just remember to transfer your food box from the freezer into the fridge in the morning!

SIMPLE BEAN CHILI:

Ingredients Photo Slideshow

MAIN INGREDIENTS
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SIMPLE BEAN CHILI:

Ingredients

  • 3 LARGE ONIONS: chopped (I like bigger chunks)
  • 3.99 L BEANS: canned or cooked, any kind you like, I used 5 x 398 ml cans of black beans & 5 x 398 ml cans of red kidney beans, rinse first if you’re using cans!
  • 680 G MUSHROOMS: any kind, chopped any way you like, I used 4 x 170 g packages of white mushrooms
  • 1 KG CORN: frozen or canned, I used 2 x 500 g packages of frozen corn
  • 4.77 L TOMATOES: diced or crushed, I used 6 x 796 ml cans of whole tomatoes and then chopped them in the blender for a few seconds
  • SALT: I started with 2.5 tablespoons and added more when finished to please my taste
  • CHILI POWDER: I used about half of a 155 g bag of chili powder
  • GROUND MEAT: optional, I added some ground deer meat that I had in the freezer but pork, beef, chicken, or turkey will work too.
  • COOKING FAT TO FRY ONIONS: I like to use stable animal fats (solid at room temp.) or raw coconut oil because they are more heat resilient compared to vegetable oils (burned/rancid oils promote free radical formation in the body when consumed!)

VARIATION TIP

This recipe is totally flexible! What you see here is how I like it but you can add, remove & swap ingredients as you please.

SERVING TIP

Serve with cooked quinoa, buckwheat or a slice of sourdough bread. To save time, cook a 4-day's worth batch of quinoa/buckwheat and store in a tightly sealed container in the fridge. For richer taste, sprinkle some good quality cheddar cheese over your bean chili just before eating.

VEGETARIAN TIP

Add more beans (black, kidney, pinto, white) or any of the other ingredients (corn, mushrooms) to reach desired consistency.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

With regards to onions, mushrooms, corn and tomatoes, I choose organic versions as much as possible to reduce my exposure to toxic pesticides. In case you're interested, review the EWG's Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce. Just click on the "FOOD FOR THOUGHT" title to be redirected.

SIMPLE BEAN CHILI:

Cooking Workflow Slideshow

COOKING WORKFLOW
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Done!
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SIMPLE BEAN CHILI:

Cooking Directions

  • Fry the onions till soft & golden
  • Add & mix in salt
  • Add & mix in chili powder (if you’re making your bean chili with meat, add it together with chili powder, mix well and cook until fully done) 
  • Add & mix in mushrooms & cook until wilted then shut the stove off
  • Add & mix in corn, beans, tomatoes & mix thoroughly with a large wooden spoon
  • Taste to see if you need to add more salt and/or chili powder
  • Mix thoroughly all ingredients 
  • Divide into food boxes & freeze (if you’re hungry, just scoop off a portion for a meal and heat it up in a separate sauce pan)

STORING TIP

Divide your bean chili batch into food boxes of different sizes ex. 1 portion size for yourself, 2 portion size for you and your significant other or larger portions to serve all of your family members.

Ahoy, I'm Eva!

Using my holistic nutrition savvy and psycho-spiritual point of view, I help you find and unapologetically follow your own nutritional mojo.