BROCCOLI & BEETROOT QUINOA SALAD

I am a big fan of eating salads during summer, as its too damn hot to eat anything else! I like my salads to be packed and full of ingredients as my stomach growls a mere hour after eating if they are not satisfying enough. I whipped up this very vivid salad a few weeks ago in the middle of steamy February. This salad lasted several days and served as a lovely light snack around 3pm when I wanted something naughty. If you want the salad to be fast and fuss free, buy cooked beetroot and don't bother making the dressing as the salad holds its own without it. Remember to ALWAYS rinse and drain quinoa twice before cooking to remove the grittiness. 

INGREDIENTS

Salad

• 2 medium beetroot, skin peeled & cut in half OR to save time use 500g cooked beetroot from a package (not from a tin as extra sugar is added to preserve it)
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil - Omit if not roasting beetroot
• 1 1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed & drained TWICE
• 1 large head of broccoli, cut into florets and stalk diced 
• 100g reduced-fat feta, crumbled finely 
• 3 generous handfuls of mixed salad leaves
• 2 medium carrots, grated
• Optional- 1/2 cup fresh herbs, finely chopped- I used a combination of chives, parsley & basil

Dressing

• the juice and zest of one medium ripe lime
• 1 large garlic clove, crushed or very finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil 
• sea salt & pepper 

COOKING

1. If roasting the beetroot yourself follow this step. If not, proceed to step 2. Preheat a fan forced oven to 200 degrees celsius. Wrap each beetroot half in foil and place in a medium deep baking tray with 2-3cm of water and 1 tablespoon olive oil in it. Roast in the oven for 35-45 minutes or until the beetroot halves are tender (that is, a knife can easily slide through them). Remove from the oven, remove from foil when cool enough to handle and leave to cool for a few more minutes. Once the beetroot is cool, slice the beetroot to your liking. 

2.  Meanwhile, bring the quinoa and 3 cups of water to the boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, covered. Once boiled reduce to a simmer and cook for 8-10 minutes or until the water has been absorbed and the quinoa grains look like they have sprouted little tails! Remove from heat and place the quinoa in a large serving bowl. 

3. Fill the now empty saucepan halfway with water and bring to the boil again, covered, over high heat. Add the broccoli pieces to the boiling water and cook for 2-3 minutes or until the broccoli is just tender but not mushy. (I like to do the fork test: if a fork slides into the broccoli stalk with a little bit of resistance, the broccoli is blanched perfectly). Remove from the heat and drain the broccoli over cold running water. 

4. Make the dressing by combining all the ingredients and adding a splash of water. Stir well to combine. 


5. Add the cooked broccoli, feta, spinach leaves, carrots, herbs, beetroot and dressing to the quinoa. (If you are working with already cooked beetroot, slice it to your liking). 


Serves / 6 
Total Preparation time / 
Total Cooking time / if roasting beetroot: extra 30-35 minutes  / if not roasting beetroot: 25 minutes 

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