Quinoa, Celery and Cucumber Salad with Canned Sardines

We had been dining out too much in the past two weeks, thus I decided to have "clean" meals at home during the holidays. I made Quinoa, Celery and Cucumber Salad with Canned Sardines for lunch today.

Quinoa can be a substitute for grains, very health even for diabetes because it has very low G.I. It is an excellent source of carbohydrates with high-quality protein, low fat and high fibre. Quinoa is easy to prepare and I always cook extra and keep some in the fridge for convenience.

Tri-color royal quinoa. Quinoa is a staple for ancient Incas. Although we always substitute quinoa for grains, it is in fact a vegetable seed.

How to prepare quinoa for salads?

1. Pour quinoa in a sieve and rinse in running water for a minute to remove the substance saponin on the seeds which gives a bitter taste.
2. Combine 1 part quinoa with 2 parts of tap water and bring to the boil. Simmer until the water is absorbed, which takes for 10 minutes or so.
3. Transfer the cooked seeds to a bowl and allow to steam.
4. Add lugs of extra virgin olive oil and fluff up with a fork.
5. Add finely chopped ginger root, garlic and onion to the seeds while still warm and mix thoroughly. Give a good splash of white wine vinegar or your favorite vinegar, mix well and allow to cool. It can then be stored in the fridge. Consume within 3-4 days.

This salad tastes best when chilled, so I always combine the ingredients and dressing 1-2 hours ahead and take it out from the fridge just before serving. 

Ingredients I used today:

From top left clockwise:

• Celery stalks, stringed and diced
• Cucumber, diced
• Pimiento in assorted colours, seeded and diced

  

  Pimientos, love the vivid colors and sweetness!

• Japanese scallions, chopped
• Cherry tomatoes, quartered

Other ingredients:

• Black olives, sliced
• pickled gherkins, diced
• Coriander, chopped
• Avocado, sliced
• Canned sardines

Dressing:

• Extra virgin ve oil
• Red wine vinegar
• Honey
• Freshly grated black pepper

Method: Mix everything in a large salad bowl and chill.