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Quinoa Salad With Vegetables and Tahini Dressing

My Favorite Quinoa Salad (With Vegetables and Tahini Dressing)

My favorite recipe for a healthy, rich, and delicious fresh veggie quinoa salad.
YIELD 4 servings

Ingredients

Salad:

  • 1 cup quinoa
  • 2 cups water
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ½ red onion , finely chopped
  • 1 large carrot , finely chopped
  • 1 large tomato , finely chopped
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • ¼ cup chopped herbs of your choice (parsley/mint leaves/basil)
  • ½ cup dried cranberries
  • ¼ - ½ cup walnuts , preferably toasted, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon lemon or lime juice
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper

Tahini Dressing:

  • ¼ cup tahini
  • ¼ cup water*
  • 1 garlic clove , minced
  • Freshly squeezed lemon/lime juice from ½ small lemon/lime
  • ½ tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons honey or date honey (optional)
  • ⅛ teaspoon salt , or more as needed
  • Pinch of freshly ground pepper

Instructions

  1. In a medium saucepan, bring quinoa, water, and ¼ teaspoon salt to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for about 15 minutes until the water has been absorbed and the quinoa is tender. Allow to cool to room temperature.
  2. Transfer quinoa to a large bowl. Add onion, carrot, tomato, herbs, dried cranberries, and nuts and mix to combine. In a separate small bowl, combine olive oil and lemon juice, then pour over salad and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper (less salt may be needed if serving with tahini dressing).
  3. To make the dressing: Whisk all ingredients vigorously until well combined. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
  4. Just before serving, drizzle dressing over the top and toss to combine, or serve dressing on the side for each serving to prevent the salad from becoming soggy.
  5. *Water is added to thin out the sauce, so you can add as much as you want of it, a bit at a time, until you reach the desired consistency. ¼ cup always works perfectly for me.