Warm up your Holiday dinner table with this ‘Winter Quinoa Salad’. It’s fresh, it’s filling and its super festive! The hues of red and burgundy from the beets and the pomegranate scream CHRISTMAS! It will surely add a great pop of colour to your entire meal.
Ingredients -
For The Quinoa:
(4) Cups of Water
(1) Cup of Quinoa
(½) Tsp. of Pink Himalayan Salt
(¼) Tsp. of Cayenne Pepper
(2½) Tbsp. of Basil Olive Oil, by Sarafino
For The Salad:
(1) Cup of Feta Cheese, crumbled
(1) Whole Pomegranate, arils
(1) Whole Green Pepper, finely chopped
(½) Red Onion, finely chopped
(¼) Cilantro, minced
(½) Lime, juice
(½) Pink Himalayan Salt
(½) Cracked Black Pepper
A dash of Cayenne Pepper
For The Boiled Beets:
(3) Beets
Water, enough to cover the beets
For The Garnish:
Lime
Balsamic Glaze
Feta Cheese
Cracked Black Pepper
Directions -
To Cook The Quinoa:
In a large pan, bring approximately 4 cups of water to a boil. Add the quinoa and pink Himalayan Salt to the boiling water and allow it to cook completely over medium heat. Once the Quinoa is cooked, drain out all the excess water, if any. Transfer the cooked Quinoa on a large dish and spread out to properly cool. Drizzle the olive oil and sprinkle the pink Himalayan salt and cayenne pepper over top. Gently mix everything together and allow it to cool.
To Make The Salad:
Combine the feta cheese, pomegranate arils, green pepper, red onion cilantro, lime juice, pink Himalayan salt, cracked black pepper and cayenne pepper in a mixing bowl. Mix well.
To Boil The Beets:
Place 3 medium-sized beets in a small-sized pressure cooker and pour water over. Ensure the water level is high enough that the beets are fully under water. Place the lid on the pressure cooker and boil the beets for approximately 15 minutes. If you so choose, you could surely boil the beets for a longer time, for a softer bite. The 15-minute mark will result in an al-dente bite. Once all the steam has released from the pressure cooker, open the cooker and place the beets on a cooling rack. After the beets have cooled, carefully peel and thinly slice.
To Plate:
In a dish of your choice, lay the thinly sliced beets throughout. Sprinkle on a pinch of pink Himalayan salt, squeeze just a touch of lime juice and lightly drizzle some balsamic glaze over top. Spoon on a generous amount of cooked Quinoa over the bed of beets. Then, using the back of a spoon, create a nest like effect at the center of the bed of Quinoa. Spoon on the salad mixture in the nest you created. Place a few cubes of feta cheese, crack some black pepper over top & SERVE!
