With beautiful weather forecast for most of the country for the long weekend, our latest NutritionConfidence recipe “Quinoa & Fig Salad” is the perfect meal. We love the combination of sweet, salty and sour in this recipe. A lovely vegan main meal containing a good combination of protein, carbohydrate and healthy mono-unsaturated fats. Also perfect as a side salad for a braai this weekend!
Our Dietitians Say
Quinoa is a good source of fibre, folate, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus and B vitamins. It has an amino acid score of 106, which indicates a complete high-quality protein. Quinoa is also a good source of carbohydrate and contains roughly the same amount of carbohydrate than a 100 g portion of cooked brown rice.
And importantly, figs are currently in season here in South Africa and available at most grocery stores.
RECIPE
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 cup white quinoa
2 cups water
8 purple figs, cut into quarters
100 g walnuts, raw & unsalted
200 g mixed salad greens (rocket, baby spinach, watercress)
1/2 cucumber
120 ml extra virgin olive oil
50 ml white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon smooth Dijon mustard
How to make it
– Preheat the oven to 150 deg C.
– Put the quinoa & water into a medium saucepan on a medium heat. Cook the quinoa for about 20 minutes until it expands and opens slightly. Cook with the lid on. Remove from the heat and strain the excess water from the quinoa. Season with a pinch of salt and leave the quinoa to cool.
– Roast the walnuts on an oven proof tray for about 10 minutes, check on the walnuts now and then to make sure they don’t burn. Remove the nuts from the oven and leave to cool.
– Using a peeler, peel the cucumber to make long thin ribbons. Peel around the cucumber using only the firm outside parts. Discard the middle part of the cucumber with the seeds or eat as a snack.
– To make the dressing: whisk the vinegar, honey & mustard in a mixing bowl. Slowly drizzle the olive oil into the bowl, while continuously whisking to combine.
– Assemble the salad greens on a large plate or platter. Sprinkle the cooled quinoa over the salad leaves. Arrange the figs and cucumber ribbons on top of the salad. Sprinkle the roasted walnuts over the salad and drizzle with the dressing.
– Serve as a light main course or as a healthy side salad to your favourite dish.
The Nutritional Value serves 4
Energy: 2689 kJ
Protein: 11.3 g
Carbohydrate: 51.3 g
Total Fat: 44 g
Dietary Fibre: 41 g
Sodium: 8 mg
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