Do you ever find yourself struggling to come up with healthy and satisfying meal options? Look no further than the humble Sprouted Quinoa Salad.
Brimming with protein, fiber, and nutrients, this superfood salad is a delicious and easy way to nourish your body. But don't let the word "salad" fool you - this dish is anything but boring. With a variety of flavors, textures, and colors, each bite is a flavorful explosion.
Get ready to elevate your salad game and impress your taste buds with this Sprouted Quinoa Salad!
Making your own sprouts is easy, healthy and inexpensive to grow at home. During the sprouting process, the seeds (or a pseudocereal in the case of quinoa), expend much of the carbohydrates. The longer they grow, the more carbs they use in the process.
How to Make Quinoa Sprouts
A quick search for "growing sprouts" turned up a slew of sites, some of which recommended specific water temperatures and sprouting vessels etc. I just know what worked for me - you may need to tweak it.
I used a very simple sprouting jar and method.
- Pour 8 ounces of quinoa into a quart sized Ball/Mason quart jar and fill with water to the 16 ounce line.
- Cover the jar with cheese cloth and secure with a rubber band or kitchen twine. Place on the counter away from temperature fluctuations.
- Let rest for 8 hours, drain and rinse the seeds. Place back in the jar without additional water.
- Let rest for another 8-12 hours until quinoa has sprouted.
- You can let the sprouts continue to grow, or put them in the fridge until ready to eat.
There is a risk of food poisoning when sprouting since bacteria love warm humid conditions. You can learn how to minimize your risk here.
Quinoa Salad Ingredients
Use whatever ingredients are fresh and in season. Don't overspend on a tomato in December that won't end up tasting very good anyway. If you don't like, or can't find jicama, don't use it.
Throw in some nuts, cheese, chicken, tuna, shrimp, etc. for more protein to make it more of a complete meal.
Use your favorite salad dressing, store bought or homemade. I used this Creamy Avocado Dressing. Other dressings that would go well with this:
Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups sprouted quinoa
- ½ cucumber (peeled, seeded and chopped)
- 1 red or yellow bell pepper (seeded and chopped)
- 1 tomato (chopped)
- 2-3 green onions (thinly sliced)
- 1 carrot (grated)
- ¼ cup jicama (chopped)
- ¼ - ½ cup fresh herbs (cilantro, parsley or basil)
Instructions
Sprouting the Quinoa
- Rinse quinoa then put into a large jar and cover completely with tap water. Cover with cheese cloth secured with a rubber band or kitchen twine.2 cups sprouted quinoa
- Let soak for 8 hours. Empty the water and rinse the quinoa. Put back in the jar without additional water and secure the cheese cloth again.
- Let sit for approximately 12-24 hours, until quinoa is sprouted. Store in refrigerator until ready to use.
Salad
- Mix all ingredients in a large bowl add dressing of choice.½ cucumber, 1 red or yellow bell pepper, 1 tomato, 2-3 green onions, 1 carrot, ¼ cup jicama, ¼ - ½ cup fresh herbs
Notes
Sound fabulous? Share it!
Until next time, happy eating.
~Audrey
Queen of Quinoa
Thanks for sharing how to make quinoa sprouts. I have yet to try it, but think they would be delicious!
I would love for you to share this recipe over at Thank Goodness It's Quinoa, a bi-weekly link party celebrating all things quinoa. I know our readers would enjoy this just as much as I have.
Here's the link: http://www.queenofquinoa.me/2013/03/thank-goodness-its-quinoa-tgiq-6/
ope to see you there! Happy Friday 🙂
Alyssa
Linda @ Axiom at Home
I really loved that you shared your technique for sprouting quinoa and lentils. I generally just soak, because sprouting seems so hard 🙂 but this made it sound very simple. Great recipe.
biggsis
I never thought of sprouting quinoa. Thanks for sharing and the salad sounds great 🙂
Ashley
Interesting! I didn't know you could sprout quinoa that way! Thanks for sharing on FTAF!