Spicy quinoa salad

• Serves 2

• Preparation time:

• Cooking time:

Ingredients

1 garlic clove, crushed
1 pinch chilli powder
1 medium red chilli, thinly sliced
1 quantity of simple vinaigrette using lemon juice (see below)
200g red quinoa, cooked and rinsed
250 g cooked or canned haricot beans, drained and rinsed
1 handful of coriander, chopped
1 handful of flat-leaf parsley, chopped
3 tablespoons pumpkin seeds
1 avocado
lime juice, as desired

Simple vinaigrette:
(makes approximately 50 ml)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
salt and pepper

Method

For the salad:

Add the garlic, chilli powder and sliced chilli to the vinaigrette.

Put the quinoa, haricot beans, herbs and pumpkin seeds into a salad bowl. Pour over enough dressing to coat the ingredients.

Peel and de-stone the avocado, cut it into chunks, and incorporate it into the salad.

Add lime juice to taste, and more dressing if necessary. Serve immediately.

For the vinaigrette:

Put all the ingredients into a screw-top jar and shake vigorously until blended well.

Variations: add finely snipped herbs such as tarragon or chives, or even finely sliced shallots.

Use different vinegars or lemon juice. This dressing keeps perfectly in the refrigerator for several days.

This is an edited extract from Salads by Sue Quinn published by Hardie Grant Books $19.99 each and are available in stores nationally.

Notes