Quinoa and Bean Salad is a full-filling side dish for any fish or poultry! Its lovely ruby colour comes from balsamic vinegar and beet juice with a nice crunchy red quinoa, red pepper, arugula and aromatics.
Quinoa and bean salad is a great summer side dish. It could also be used the next day with some extra crumbled feta on top for lunch or a picnic. This white bean salad is adaptable and great tasting, whether cold or lukewarm. Ensure the arugula and feta lay on top of the salad, if you bring it around, not to deteriorate them.
Reinventing the Bean
My husband showed me this type of bean salad… See… I have a thing with beans and lentils… the texture bothers me, and this way, when not cooked and soaking in a broth of some kind, I love them! It’s a whole other ingredient when served this way! This mix of bean and vinegar is fantastic for me… a bean hater, and I know it’s a fantastic ingredient to have in your diet! So hopefully, this recipe will open up other people’s horizons, as it did mine!
Cooking Red Quinoa
I’ve learned much about living in Peru, where quinoa is from! Also, saw instructions to cook the quinoa way too long on packages where I live. Basically, the grain should not pop open! If it does, it loses all of its appeals! Red, white or black quinoa cook sensibly the same; rinse it in a meshed sieve before use. I cooked mine for 10 minutes in simmering water, a ratio of 2:1 and covered it, and didn’t let it rest. Otherwise, it pops open. This way, you get the nice crunch from it and the fun of popping it up with your teeth!
The Dressing
The bean salad dressing is a standard salad dressing with extra colour from the beetroot juice to give it this ruby red and earthy taste. This side dish is an excellent alternative to rice or potatoes and contains many proteins.
Variations
The white beans could be replaced with chickpeas easily, and the red quinoa with white quinoa. I like the arugula sharpness, but if you dig baby spinach more, go for it! This salad is easily modifiable; is that even a word? Not digging the raw red pepper? Change them for cherry tomatoes! It’s all up to you.
Other Nice Side Dishes
Salmon on Quinoa and Bean Salad
Ingredients
Bean & Quinoa Salad
- 200 g white beans (pre-cooked)
- 150 g red quinoa
- 1/2 red pepper (cut into small dices)
- 1 cup arugula
- 1 garlic clove (finely chopped)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 2 tbsp red beet juice
- 1 tbsp maple syrup (or honey)
- parsley
- salt and pepper
Salmon
- 2 salmon fillets
- 1 slice of lime
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 branch of thyme
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Wash and clean the salmon, and take out the skin and bones.
- In an oven-proof recipient, add the salmon.
- Add the olive oil, salt, pepper, thyme and lime on the fish fillets and cook at 180°C (350F°) for 15 minutes approx.
- During that time, cook the quinoa, like the rice method, and cover it with a max of 1 cm of water in a small saucepan (the grains should not crack open), and add salt.
- In a bowl, mix all the ingredients from the salad except the arugula which should be last minute.
- Serve the fish on top of the quinoa salad.
