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salad

Quinoa Salad with Cucumbers, Chickpeas, and a Yogurt Dill Dressing

April 18, 2014 by April Swiger 8 Comments

Quinoa salad yogurt dill dressing

By April Swiger, Contributing Writer

This quinoa salad has the unmistakable taste of fresh dill, tangy yogurt, and refreshing lemon and cucumber. Quinoa is gluten-free, packed with nutrients, and fills you up without ill effects when prepared properly. When soaked with a little raw apple cider vinegar, it’s easy to digest, and can be used in countless recipes ranging from breakfast porridges to summer salads.

Cucumbers have been on sale at my little local market the past two weeks and I’ve been itching to add them to a creamy yogurt based salad. As spring has finally sprung, I’m eager to begin making hearty and nourishing salads again for the warmer months. I love the idea of a filling side dish that can easily transfer over to a simple main dish. With the addition of chickpeas to this salad, it can be both!

Quinoa is a grain-like seed (from the same family as beets and spinach) and benefits from a long soak like other grains and legumes to reduce anti nutrients. There is a distinct bitter taste to quinoa which can be reduced significantly through soaking, and a thorough rinse before cooking. I have found that as I plan my meals for the week, adding an alert to my phone to “soak quinoa” the day before I need it has proved to be an easy way to incorporate this traditional practice into my routine.

quinoa salad yogurt dill dressing2

I love the addition of a creamy and tangy dressing to this salad! It’s reminiscent of a Greek tzatziki sauce but with the delicious taste of fresh dill. I used a Russian kefir yogurt for this recipe, but any plain, full-fat yogurt will work just fine. A whisk works great to blend all the ingredients together.

If you enjoy experimenting in the kitchen, you can easily adapt this recipe with different dressings and vegetables that are available to you. Kimi has shared a fantastic list of nourishing salad dressings that are very simple to make and can be substituted in this recipe. Along with that her cookbook, Fresh: Nourishing Salads for All Seasons, includes more salad dressing recipes and a couple of quinoa salads as well. Her summer quinoa salad is one of my favorites!

Other recipes you may enjoy:

  • Mexican Quinoa Spinach Salad
  • Quinoa Orange Arugula and Beet Salad
  • Simple Mexican Quinoa Bowl
  • Quinoa Tabbouleh

Quinoa salad with cucumbers, chickpeas, and a yogurt dill dressing
 
Author:
April Swiger
Recipe type: Side, or main dish
Print
 
This tangy quinoa salad could serve 8-10 people as a side dish, or 4-6 as a nourishing main dish
Ingredients
  • FOR THE SALAD:
  • 2 cups quinoa
  • 2 cups warm filtered water for soaking
  • 2 tbls raw apple cider vinegar (you can also use yogurt, kombucha, whey or kefir)
  • 2 cups filtered water for cooking
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 cucumber, peeled if desired, and cubed
  • 1 small red onion, chopped
  • 1½-2 cups cooked chickpeas (or one 15 oz can)
  • FOR THE DRESSING:
  • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • ½ cup yogurt
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 3 small garlic cloves, minced or crushed
  • 2 tbls fresh dill, chopped
  • Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. The night before you make this dish, plan to soak your quinoa to make it more digestible. Place the quinoa in a non-reactive bowl or jar (preferably glass), and mix it with the warm filtered water and your raw ACV. Allow it to soak for at least 8 hours, and up to 24.
  2. When you're ready to make the salad, drain and rinse your quinoa in a fine sieve, allowing the water to run clear.
  3. Place your rinsed quinoa in a pot with 2 more cups of water and bring it to a boil.
  4. When it's boiling, cover the pot, and turn the heat to low, allowing it to simmer for 12-15 minutes. (These instructions are the same as Kimi's basic quinoa recipe and work for the various brands of quinoa that I've tried).
  5. When the quinoa is done, place it in a bowl to cool. You can leave it on the counter, or put it in the refrigerator.
  6. In the meantime, assemble your dressing. Whisk together the olive oil, yogurt, lemon juice, garlic cloves, fresh dill and salt and pepper.
  7. When the quinoa has cooled, gently mix in the cucumber, red onion and chickpeas.
  8. Pour the dressing over the quinoa mixture (you may not need it all), and mix thoroughly.
  9. This salad is best served at room temperature after preparing it, or lightly chilled. Top with additional dill, feta cheese, olives, or tomatoes if desired!
3.2.2265

 

Filed Under: Main Dishes, Nourishing Frugal Recipes, Nourishing Practices, Salads, Sides Tagged With: Main Dish, Nourishing Frugal Recipes, Quinoa, salad, Sides, Yogurt

Creamy Balsamic Vinaigrette & 7 Other Nourishing Salad Dressings

January 24, 2014 by KimiHarris 10 Comments

Creamy Balsamic Vinaigrette, plus seven more tasty, nourishing salad dressings

With the sweet and tangy balsamic, the rich extra virgin olive oil, the pungent garlic and mustard, and the subtle creaminess of coconut milk or cream, this dairy-free salad dressing is a healthy and delicious way to enjoy your greens.

I’m the queen of simple salad dressings because I like to keep my cooking uncomplicated. But if you have a little extra coconut milk, cream or unsweetened coconut yogurt, it’s no trouble at all to add a couple tablespoons to your salad dressing – making it a lovely creamy texture with some added health benefits from the coconut milk too. I’m not really sure why it took me so long to think of it!

As part of our 21 steps to a nourishing diet, I wanted to take the opportunity to share a new dressing and point out how simple and better for you homemade salad dressing is! It’s very hard to find store-bought salad dressing that uses nourishing ingredients, and when you do, they often are pretty expensive. Thankfully salad dressings are one of the easiest things you can make, and they are so delicious.

The other day I sat in front of a green salad with vibrant, nutrient rich baby greens, walnuts, avocado and other delicious additions, all tossed with this dressing. I smiled when I thought of all of the lackluster salads I’ve been served at restaurants. This was so much better. You know you are doing something right when you prefer your own food at home.

When making your own salad dressings,  you are trading out cheap oils for traditional ones, artificial flavors and MSG for the real flavors of herbs, spices, and garlic. You are trading highly processed foods, for gently processed, whole foods. It’s a good trade to make. Here is a list of some other lovely, nourishing salad dressings to choose from.

Other Healthy Salad Dressings: 

Sweet Onion Poppyseed Dressing: This salad dressing is amazing with green salads topped with chicken and fruit. It’s sweetened with honey, and so flavorful!

This PDF is a sample of my cookbook, Fresh: Nourishing Salads for all Seasons. It has my recipe for Leon Salad (a favorite from the book) and two salad dressings, including my Simple Balsamic Dressing (that the below is a creamy version of), and my Everyday Salad Dressing using raw apple cider vinegar.

Kombucha Vinaigrette: Learn how to make kombucha vinegar and then a simple salad dressing out of it.

Orange Balsamic Dressing: This dressing is perfect for this time of year. I pair it with roasted beets, oranges, greens, and nuts for a lovely light lunch.

Spicy Asian Inspired Dressing: I love the dressing that goes along with this Thai Salad. So good!

Strawberry Salad Dressing: I share a video of my TV segment sharing two salad recipes, with links to my yummy strawberry balsamic dressing.


Because I love salad dressings so much, and wanted to make it as easy as possible for you all to enjoy making them yourself, I created a printout of 7 homemade salad dressings (some of the same ones above, plus others!). Get it above!

 

(By the way, my affiliate Vitacost is a great place to pick up organic balsamic vinegar and raw apple cider vinegar.)

Creamy Balsamic Vinaigrette & 7 Other Nourishing Salad Dressings
 
Author:
Kimi @ The Nourishing Gourmet
Prep time: 5 mins
Total time: 5 mins
Print
 
This is a simple dressing to throw together and serve with a variety of salads. It will keep 2-3 days in the refrigerator.
Ingredients
  • ⅓ cup balsamic vinegar
  • ⅔ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons dijon style mustard
  • ¾ teaspoon unrefined salt
  • 1-3 garlic cloves, peeled, and finely minced or put through a garlic press
  • 2 tablespoons coconut milk (full fat), cream, or unsweetened, homemade coconut yogurt
Instructions
  1. Mix all of the ingredients together by either whisking in a small bowl, or putting in a 2 cup jar, placing the lid on, and shaking. Shake before each use.
3.2.2265

 

Filed Under: Nourishing Frugal Recipes, Nourishing Frugal Tips, Nourishing Practices, Salads, Sides, Vegan, Vegetarian Tagged With: Balsamic Vinaigrette, Balsamic Vinegar, Creamy Balsamic Vinaigrette, Dressing, Healthy Salad Dressings, Homemade Salad Dressing, salad, Salad Dressing, Strawberry Salad Dressing, Vinaigrette, Vinegar

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The information you find here at The Nourishing Gourmet is meant to help you become a better cook! This site is primarily for sharing family friendly recipes. It's not meant to give medical advice or to make any health claims on the prevention or curing of diseases.This site is only for informational and educational purposes. Please discuss with your own, qualified health care provider before adding in supplements or making any changes in your diet. Also, any links to sponsors or affiliates (including Amazon) may give me a percentage of the sale or a pay per click. Thank you for supporting this site.

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