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Sides

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

Garlicky Thyme Sautéed Mushrooms

December 7, 2010 by KimiHarris 5 Comments

Mushrooms are wonderful and I have been especially craving them lately.  I added them to my quinoa stuffing and to my stew, but I wanted them in all of their glory. So, I decided to sauté them as a nice side dish. This side is easy to make, the hardest part is simply cutting up the mushrooms. Garlic and thyme and balsamic vinegar add plenty of flavor with the olive oil and butter (a classic French combination for sautéing) adds richness and even more flavor.

This would make a nice side to a steak, or a yummy filling for an omelet or simply served as a side to scrambled eggs and toast as I did (with a new baby in the house, our meals have been super simple as of late). While I love mushrooms for their delightful taste, they are also very good for you (so I am told). Mushrooms are an excellent source selenium as well as many other nutrients.

Garlicky Thyme Sautéed Mushrooms

You can really use whatever fat or oil you want for this dish. Bacon grease would be good, but butter and olive oil is very nice.         Serves 4

    1 pound of crimini mushrooms (or mushrooms of choice)
    1-3 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely minced or put through a garlic press
    1 teaspoon of dried thyme
    2 tablespoons of butter
    2 tablespoons of olive oil
    1/2 to 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar, to taste

1- Wash the mushrooms by gently wiping with a damp cloth and then slice.

2- In a large pan, heat the butter and olive oil over med-high heat until hot but not smoking. Add the mushrooms and dried thyme and sprinkle with a bit of salt. Sauté for several minutes, stirring as needed to prevent burning and then add the minced garlic. Cook until the mushrooms are starting to brown and soft. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar and give a quick stir. Adjust the flavors with salt and vinegar as needed and serve.

Filed Under: Gluten Free, Sides, Vegetarian Tagged With: Sides, Vegetarian

Stovetop Quinoa and Mushroom Stuffing

November 21, 2010 by KimiHarris 21 Comments

It will be my pleasure to host the Whole Foods for the Holidays Carnival this Tuesday! Our theme will be side dishes. I love turkey, but holiday side dishes are some of my favorite dishes! I am really looking forward to getting some new, healthy recipes from you all. Since I have two side dishes to share with you, I thought I would get a head start today and post my first one, Stovetop Quinoa and Mushroom Stuffing, today.

We love quinoa around here. It has a hearty flavor, but the texture is quite delicate. In this “stuffing”, I’ve flavored it with sage, thyme, parsley, onions, mushrooms, celery and chicken broth-all classic flavors for stuffing. Once it was finished cooking, I add butter for richness and flavor and a big splash of lemon juice to brighten the dish (quinoa is assertive in flavor and can handle it!). My husband and I loved it (though our four year old wasn’t too wowed by it). This recipe is also great for gluten free people as it’s naturally gluten free (as long as you use a gluten free broth).

After a week of eating easy meals of french toast and BLTs and surviving off of a huge pot of beef stew I made, I got the chance to make a real full dinner with a Thanksgiving theme this weekend, which is why I have these two new recipes to share. It was so fun creating new dishes again! I have really missed experimenting in the kitchen since our new one came along and it was very rewarding to actually make creative dishes again. I hope you enjoy. I know that this is a dish that I will make year round, not just during the Holiday season.

…

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Filed Under: Gluten Free, Sides Tagged With: Gluten Free, Sides

Basil Potato Salad

May 18, 2009 by KimiHarris 28 Comments

basilpotato2
I used red and purple potatoes in this dish for a beautiful color contrast.  Purple potatoes are stunning.  While the potatoes are still warm, a simple and tasty vinaigrette is poured over to allow the flavors to permeate the potatoes. Right before serving fresh basil is torn into the salad. This salad seems a lot more light and refreshing compared to a mayo based potato salad. A simple and delicious salad that is just perfect for a hot day!

It has been very hot around here the last few days, so eating hot meals has not been appealing. Yesterday, when I woke up to an already hot day, I decided to put together this potato salad to chill for lunch. I cooked the potatoes in the cooler morning, and by noon, when the heat was more oppressive, we had a delicious potato salad to eat. Just perfect for a hot day.

…

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Filed Under: Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Nourishing Frugal Recipes, Salads, Sides, Vegan, Vegetarian Tagged With: Dairy Free, Garlic, Gluten Free, Grain Free, Nourishing Frugal Recipes, Potatoes, Sides

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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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