Quinoa is another of those ancient grains that became trendy recently. A decade ago, it used to be found only at the back of grocery shelves, tucked away in obscure aisles. It has found renewed popularity now as a superfood and is ubiquitous in every grain bowl in every restaurant. Widely cultivated in South America for over 5000 years, quinoa comes in over a thousand varieties. It is a seed in the amaranth family, similar to samo (barnyard millet) and pigweed. Amaranth, or rajgira, is common in Maharashtra and has an elevated status as a ‘fasting’ food. Fasting foods are a group of grains, seeds, and vegetables that can be consumed on certain Hindu religious days, and include potatoes, tapioca, peanuts, and cucumbers.

I use quinoa mainly in salads and love the texture and nutty taste. I usually combine it with cooked black beans, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, and some chopped greens or herbs; a dash of vinaigrette and it is a perfect working lunch. I love to eat it with pita or tortilla chips but the girls usually make a big bowl of quinoa salad and add some sliced avocados and grated carrots to it.

I got everything ready to make the salad and then realized that I was out of black beans but found a can of garbanzo or chickpeas sitting in the pantry. So decided why not, it’s still protein, has a mild taste and great texture. The result was delicious and something I have repeated a couple of times since then.

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Step by Step

1. Measure 1 cup of quinoa in a mesh strainer and rinse it under running water for a few seconds.
2. Place it in a pan on medium heat and add 2 cups of water (I had a few fresh cranberries left so I threw them in the pot as well, so pretty!).
3. Drain and rinse one can of chickpeas.
4. Ribbon or finely chop
   • 1 cup of spinach leaves
   • 1/2 cup of cilantro, stems and leaves
   • Handful of mint leaves
   • 1 cucumber, peeled
5. Prepare the dressing in a large bowl
   • 2 tbsp olive oil
   • 2 tsp fresh lemon or lime juice
   • Crushed red pepper flakes (can substitute with red chili powder)
   • Salt and pepper to taste
   • 1 tsp cumin powder
   • Gently whip the dressing till it looks cloudy and thickens
6. Add the herbs, spinach, and chickpeas
7. Check the quinoa
8. When the water comes to a boil, turn the flame to low
9. Wait for all the water to be absorbed and turn off the heat
10. Let stand for a few minutes
11. Fluff with a fork
12. Add the cooked quinoa to the bowl
13. Give everything a good stir
14. Let it stand for 10 minutes or so to allow the quinoa seeds to soak up the dressing.
15. Serve with chips, bread or sliced avocado.

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Some Tips

It is important to rinse quinoa before use because it has a natural coating called saponin, which can taste soapy.

You can add a combination of raw veggies, choose a couple from tomatoes, onions, bell pepper, or cucumbers; berries–raisins or cranberries (I love both but the girls prefer without); nuts–almonds or walnuts (we have one allergy child so I haven’t bought walnuts into the kitchen for over 20 years now, but they add a perfect crunch to this salad) to create variations with the base ingredients.

You can make this salad 2 days ahead of time as it keeps well in the fridge. This is a great salad to pack in lunches.