Carrot, Mint and Quinoa Salad

Melissa knocked this quick and easy quinoa salad up in 20 minutes one lunchtime and we loved it so much we made it every day for the rest of the week!

Serves 2 for a light lunch

Ingredients:

1 Cup Quinoa (well rinsed)

20g Fresh Mint, washed and chopped

2 Large carrots, peeled and finely diced

1 White Onion, cut into thin half moons or rainbows if you prefer ;-)

1 Avocado

Juice of 1 Lime

2 Tsp Cumin seeds

Salt and Pepper

2 Tbsp Olive Oil

1 Tsp Veg Stock

Method:

1. Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil and add stock and a pinch of salt while you thoroughly rinse the quinoa in cold water. This washes off the saponin which can sometimes give the quinoa a soapy taste. If you're really organised, you can even soak the quinoa over night in cold water for optimum digestibility, but its not essential.
2. Add the quinoa to the boiling water and set a timer for 12 minutes. Then remove and leave to drain in a colander.
3. Sauté the onion and cumin seeds in the olive oil in a large frying pan until they begin to soften, then add in the carrots and cook for a further 10 minutes until cooked but with a bit of bite. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Combine the carrot mix, quinoa and fresh mint and mix well.
5. Serve warm with a sliced avocado garnished with salt, pepper and fresh mint. We usually have a small bowl of soup on the side as well for a delicious lunch.