More quinoa salad love

clearly, i have a thing for quinoa. probably because it is a supergrain. or that it is so versatile with both sweet and savory flavors. but i think my favorite thing to make with it is salad – cooling it right down after it’s been cooked and tossing it with different ingredients. some examples of past quinoa salads…

southwestern sweet potato and quinoa
moroccan quinoa salad
prawns with quinoa, avocado, basil, and mint

and now, to add to that list, a quinoa salad recipe that doesn’t involve any cooking beyond the quinoa itself. i was inspired by the veganomicon cookbook, although the original dish calls for black beans – which aren’t so readily available in this country. i happened to have a can of azuki beans in the cupboard (random), so i used those instead – and they turned out to be a fine substitution.

as is the case with some of my other recipes this week, this salad would be great at a picnic or barbecue. it is best served room temperature or straight from the fridge – and works your fine dicing skills.

quinoa with azuki beans and mango

based on the quinoa salad with black beans recipe in veganomicon

the particulars:

1 mango, peeled, stoned, and finely diced
1 red pepper, seeded and finely diced
1 can azuki (or black) beans, drained and rinsed
8-9 spring onions, finely sliced
1 handful fresh cilantro, chopped
coarse sea salt + freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tbsp rapeseed oil
1 cup quinoa, cooked
1/4 tsp red chili flakes, to garnish (optional)


set aside the cooked quinoa and allow to cool down to room temperature.
combine all other ingredients in a large bowl. mix in the quinoa and stir until everything is well combined. serve with a sprinkling of red chili flakes for added heat.