Beet, Quinoa, and Cucumber Salad

This salad recipe is fantastic because it’s packed with wonderful textures and amazing flavors! It’s perfect as a quick snack or a meal, and it’s super easy to toss in a container for on-the-go fun or to enjoy at home.

Having this salad ready in the fridge is such a blessing during those busy weeks since you always have a nutritious option to grab whenever you need it!

Here’s the recipe…

Ingredients

4 servings for meal-size portions or 6 servings for snack-sized portions

4 medium to large peeled cooked beets, cooled and chopped

(If you’re not a fan of beets, no worries! Just substitute with 4-5 medium to large, chopped Roma tomatoes, it will be equally as delicious.)

2 cups dry quinoa

1/3 cup onion, diced

4 Persian cucumbers, chopped

1 cup parsley, chopped

2 tsp dried dill 

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup fresh lemon or lime juice

1/4 tsp cayenne 

salt to taste

1-2 avocados, sliced (optional)

Directions

1. Prepare raw beets ahead of time as they will take a couple of hours. Add raw beets to a large pot of water. Beets should be covered by 1-2 inches of water. Allow water to come to a rolling boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Check for desired tenderness of beets (enough to pierce your fork easily into the flesh) every 30 minutes. It may take around 90 minutes. Once cooked, strain and then place in ice-cold water. Next, peel the skin off with your hands once cooled. Chop beets and continue to let them cool. You can place them in the refrigerator while preparing the rest of the salad.

2. Cook quinoa according to package directions. Or, add rinsed quinoa to a saucepan with 4 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 15-20 minutes until quinoa is somewhat transparent. Make sure the water at the bottom of pan has evaporated off.

3. Transfer quinoa to a large bowl and let cool at room temperature. Once cooled, chill in the refrigerator for a couple of hours.

4. Remove the bowl with quinoa from the fridge.

5. Add beets, onion, cucumber, and parsley to the bowl with quinoa.

6. Add oil, lemon/lime juice, cayenne, and salt.

7. Gently toss to combine.

8. Add avocado slices before serving if desired.

9. Enjoy!