Going Veggie

I'm tired. It was veggie co-op today and I worked my hiney off. But I did promise several people I would post a recipe. This is the mango quinoa salad we had for dinner the other night. It was alright. I have a better use for mangos. Like peeling them and eating them. Go figure that. I wasn't that impressed but I think it's because the dressing didn't have as much flavor as I thought it would. Here we go, short and sweet. Like the mangos. I got this from SavvyVegetarian.com. Check her out for great ideas.

Mango Quinoa Salad:

Salad:

1 cup quinoa
2 cups cold water
1/4 tsp salt
1 ripe mango, peeled and chopped
1/4 cup blanched slivered or sliced almonds
2 Tbsp roasted pumpkin seeds
1 medium cucumber, peeled and diced

Dressing:

2 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp turmeric
Juice of 1 lime
2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
salt and pepper, to taste

Wash quinoa and boil in water 10 minutes. Cover and let quinoa sit until all water is absorbed. Fluff quinoa with a fork and let it cool to room temperature. Combine mango, cucumber, almonds, and pumpkin seeds. Heat 1 tsp oil in small pan and fry turmeric for 30 seconds and cool. Add lime juice. Mix in olive oil, cilantro, salt and pepper with a whisk or fork. Add mango mix to cooled quinoa. Add dressing. Serve immediately or cover and chill.   

I added two mangos. I probably should have just added the one. Hubby and the big girl are not huge fans of mango. I was hoping the dressing would add more flavor, but it didn't. Maybe I didn't fry it long enough. I just don't know. I have never used turmeric before, but it has great medicinal properties. I also have several recipes that I haven't tried because I haven't had it. I'm going to try one of those. I DO NOT like cilantro. It tastes nasty, smells nasty, and blech! Instead, I picked some basil from the tower. That was really good with this. I cooked my quinoa in my rice pot instead of on the stove top. It came out beautifully. Still getting used to the texture. Just a little different than what I'm used to. I also didn't have the almonds or pumpkin seeds. Maybe that would have helped. If you try this and like it, let me know what you did. I might try it again. One day.

Have a great day.