Lemony quinoa cucumber salad recipe with crunchy cucumbers, parsley and hemp hearts. Protein loaded, super easy to make, oil-free and good for you. The best ever!
Like a healthy spin on Tabbouleh, only using gluten-free quinoa seeds.
Yes my friends, and to take it over the top I actually mixed my lemon quinoa salad with lots of supernatural hemp. So good I can’t even talk about it.
100% Whole Foods Plant-Based Vegan!Â
You can get fancy if you insist and turn this quinoa salad into some sort of Buddha bowl. Add some spring veggies to the mix, heirloom tomatoes, avocado, chickpeas, roasted beets, pomegranate seeds, cranberries, toasted pine nuts or give it a Mediterranean flair with olives, capers and vegan feta.Â
I prefer to keep it simple and refreshing, perfect for the first spring garden party and Easter holiday just around the corner. Note the purple basil blossoms garnish, I simply couldn’t resist!
note worthy: Quinoa is a very nutritious high protein seed/whole grain, high in iron, calcium, lysine, magnesium, potassium, zinc, copper and manganese. Legend has it that quinoa was used by the Incan armies in the form of “war balls” that would give them the stamina and strength to march for days at a time. Now that’s “Plant Powered”!Â
P.S. As always, If you make this recipe come back here to rate it, snap a photo and tag us with #VeggieSociey on Instagram, it always makes my day ~ Florentina Xo’s
Lemon Quinoa Cucumber Salad
Ingredients
- 1 cup golden quinoa -rinsed and drained well, ( or 2 cups cooked and chilled)
- 4 Persian cucumbers -finely chopped
- 1.5 cups filtered water
- 1/3 cup hemp seeds
- 3 scallions -finely chopped
- 1/2 cup Italian Parsley -chopped
- 1 lemon -juiced & zested
- 1 pinch sea salt +more to taste
- freshly cracked black pepper -to taste
Instructions
- Bring the rinsed quinoa with the water and a good pinch of sea salt to a simmer over medium high heat. Cover with a lid, reduce the flame to low and cook for about 10 to 15 minutes until all the water is absorbed. Remove from heat and allow it to sit covered for 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork and refrigerate until chilled.
- Transfer two cups of the cooked and chilled quinoa to a salad bowl together with the hemp seeds, cucumbers, scallions and parsley. Add the lemon juice and zest and toss to coat well.
- Taste and adjust seasonings with more sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste. Serve chilled!
Nutrition
Environmental Information
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Finally a quinoa recipe after my own heart. I’m going to be making this salad until the day I die LOL. I swear it’s a wonderful recipe espaecailly if You happen to love lemon and cucumbers as much as I do. Now I can eat quinoa all the time. Happy mama over here!