Red Quinoa Fruit Salad with Figs and Raspberries

Dear Spring, I love you. I love you because you give me renewed energy and bring warmth and color to my days. 

I captured these elements in a lovely spicy-sweet lunch salad;

• Raspberries, figs and lemon for color
• Red pepper for warmth
• Maple syrup and red quinoa for energy

 

 

Health benefits of quinoa
Not familiar with quinoa yet? Quinoa is a grain-like seed from a leafy plant. When cooked, the texture is quite similar to couscous, but with a nutty flavor.

Quinoa is gluten free, making it suitable for coeliac patients. Quinoa also has a lower impact on your blood sugar level than grains. There’s more though: quinoa is fiber- and protein-rich and contain phosphorus, magnesium and iron, which makes it a valuable food to add to your diet.

 

Red quinoa
There are different kinds of colors of quinoa, like white, black and red. I chose to use red quinoa because it keeps it shape better after cooking, which makes it more suitable for cold salads. Furthermore, red quinoa is slightly lower in total fat, higher in fiber, protein, vitamin E, riboflavin and folate in comparison to other quinoa’s.

 

Uses of quinoa
Make sure to wash quinoa well before use. After that, you can use it quinoa in many ways, for instance as a substitute for oats or even use it as a healthier option for rice in sushi spring rolls. 

 

Cold fruit salad
Or use it the way I did, as a cold fruit salad! After cooking the quinoa, I’ve set it aside to cool down and than added a bunch or fruits and seeds that I had to finish. These add-ins were:

• raspberries
• lime juice
• figs
• pumpkin seeds
• red pepper

 

So delicious! 

Ready to give it a try? Scroll down for the recipe.

 

 

 Love,

Angela