Two great things happened in the making of this post. One: I magically managed to get the white balance on my camera perfect meaning these photos required zero editing (a rarity!). Two: I found an avocado that was both perfectly ripe AND perfect enough to look pretty in photos. Seriously guys, these are the things that make me happy these days…
Oh! And of course a third great thing: this nutty avocado quinoa salad is insanely tasty. I know it’s probably a bit vain to hype my own recipes so much but whatever. This is good. Really good. I’ve also inadvertently created a vegan recipe which is not something I’d ever imagined myself doing. What can I say – I love meat & cheese!
Seriously though, the nutty cashews and creamy avocado more than make up for the lack of meat or dairy. The mixture of raw and cooked ingredients makes the dish both warm and crunchy which is a totally satisfying combination. Plus you get to feel smug about all the healthy, natural ingredients you’re putting into your body. We’ll just forget about the nutella you ate out the jar earlier… (you do that too, right??).
Ingredients
- 100g dry quinoa, rinsed
- 150ml vegetable stock
- 100g frozen peas
- 1/2 tbsp sesame oil
- 100g cashew nuts
- 100g broccoli, chopped into small pieces
- 100g asparagus, chopped into small pieces
- 1 tin (265g drained) cooked green lentils
- 2 medium carrots, grated or sliced into thin strips
- 2 small red onions, finely chopped
- 1 avocado, sliced
- 1 tbsp walnut oil
- 1 tbsp cider vinegar
Instructions
- In a dry pan, toast the rinsed quinoa for about 5 minutes until all the water has evaporated and it has a nutty smell. Pour in the vegetable stock and simmer over a medium heat for 15 minutes.
- After 15 minutes, add the frozen peas to the quinoa, along with a little extra water if needed.
- In a separate pan, heat the sesame oil over a medium heat. Add the cashew nuts, broccoli, asparagus and lentils. Stir for about 2 minutes then remove from the heat. Don't cook them for longer than this - you want the ingredients to retain their bite rather than going mushy!
- The quinoa should now be cooked. Remove from the heat and in a large bowl mix the quinoa, cashew + lentil mixture, carrot and onion together. Divide between four bowls and top with the avocado.
- Mix the walnut oil and cider vinegar together and drizzle over each bowl.
This looks really yummy!! I’ve never tried avocado like that…only in Sushi and I must say it wasn’t my favorite…but I’ll definitely try the rest of the recipe!
xoRosie
Rosie’s Life
Thanks Rosie 🙂 Oh you should definitely give it another try – I love avocado!
I’m so not a quinoa girl normally but this looks deeeelicious. Love the perfectly sliced avocado on the top. That’s some kind of wizardry right there! 🙂
Sorcha x Bright Field Notes
Haha my food doesn’t normally look so pretty but I’m a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to food for the blog!
Ahh yum! I tried avocado for the first time a few months back and I think I’m hooked! x
Ahh it’s amazing isn’t it? I can’t get enough of them!
This looks delicious!
Thanks!
One of my favourite dishes…but I have never made it this way; I am looking forward to giving it a go!
Thank you for the really clear method, it’s made it a lot easier for me to follow 😀
I think you might like my new blog site…I have only just started, so there isn’t many posts yet, but I cant wait to get going!
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