Keenowha! I guess this is my way to say Hi! Welcome to my blog! My name is Thomas and I will be sharing vegan, healthy and tasty recipes on this blog. If you want to learn more about me, feel free to check out my about page. If you are new to plant-based cooking, you can check the ingredients that I always have in my pantry here. Now back to this first recipe!

When you have been binging on cookies and chocolate bars all weekend (for testing purposes obviously), all you want on Monday is a clean, fresh and healthy salad.

Here comes this mint and lemon quinoa salad. It is the first salad I made with quinoa and I always go back to it because it’s really easy to prepare and tastes delicious. It keeps in the fridge for several days so I recommend you make a big batch and enjoy it through the week.

I discovered quinoa only three years ago when my father brought me a bag of it from the fair-trade market. As soon as I tried it I fell in love, I now prefer quinoa over rice or couscous, it’s easier to digest, contains a good amount of protein and has many health benefits.

I took my inspiration for this recipe from tabouleh, which is an Arabian salad made of bulgur, mint, cucumber and tomatoes, seasoned with lemon juice and olive oil.

I used a mix of red and white quinoa, but any will do. I’m not sure if white, red and black quinoa have a different taste but at least they make the salad more colorful! This salad is really easy to make, you just cook the quinoa, sauté the vegetables, combine everything together and put in the fridge.

If you are not in a hurry, I advise you to prepare this recipe at least 3 hours before serving to let all the flavors marry. We always find it tastes better the next day.

The mint combined with the lemon makes this salad super refreshing and everyone (kids too!) love it!

Lemon Quinoa Salad

Fresh and SO easy to prepare, this whole-grain salad will please everyone.

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• Yield: 3 servings

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Ingredients

• 1 cup quinoa
• 1 and 3/4 cups water
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 4-5 mushrooms, sliced
• 5 cherry tomatoes, cut in halves
• 1 onion, finely sliced
• 1/3 preserved lemon
• 1/4 cup fresh mint, finely chopped

Dressing

• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 and 1/2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp maple syrup
• salt, pepper to taste

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Instructions

1. Place water in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the soy sauce and quinoa, cover and let simmer over medium heat for about 20 minutes, until all liquid has been absorbed.
2. In the meantime, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
3. Cook and stir red bell peppers and onions until tender, about 10 minutes. Add the mushrooms and tomatoes and cook for another 5 minutes.
4. Remove from heat and combine the cooked vegetables and the quinoa in a bowl.
5. Combine all the dressing ingredients and pour over the quinoa. Finely slice the preserved lemon and add to the bowl with the mint.
6. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper if needed.
7. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours before serving.
8. Top with fresh mint leaves if desired.