Quinoa Fruit Salad

There are so many quinoa recipes these days that inspire me to try some of my own. This is one such a simple recipe that I put together as I went along.

Some people may not be a fan of the cumin powder in this recipe, so I suggest that you tone it down a little if you are not a fan of sweet and savory salads. Other than that, I loved the simple ginger-lemon-honey dressing. It complemented the fruits really well and made the quinoa delicious.

Easy to make, filling, and healthy.

Ingredients (serves 4):

1. 2 mangoes, de-seeded and diced
2. 1 cup sliced red grapes
3. 1 cup sliced strawberries
4. 1 green bell-pepper, diced
5. 1.5 cups uncooked quinoa (cook the quinoa with 1:2 ratio of quinoa:water)
6. 1 tablespoon olive oil

For the dressing:

1. 1 tablespoon cumin powder
2. 1/4 cup olive oil
3. juice from 1 lemon
4. 1 - 1.5 teaspoons salt, as needed
5. 1 teaspoon pepper
6. 2 - 3 tablespoons honey (adjust according to how sweet/tart the fruits are)
7. 3 teaspoons grated ginger

Preparation:

1. In a tablespoon of olive oil, stir fry the bell-pepper until they are slightly charred and tender. Add the cumin powder to the bell-pepper and mix everything well. When cool, add the bell-pepper to a large salad bowl.
2. Add all the sliced fruits (grapes, mangoes, and strawberries) to the bell-pepper and mix everything gently.
3. Cook the quinoa with 3 cups of water. 
4. Make the dressing by whisking together the olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, honey, and ginger. 
5. Add the dressing to the warm, cooked quinoa and mix evenly. Let the quinoa cool. 
6. When the quinoa is cool, add it to the fruits in the salad bowl and give everything a stir. 

Let the salad rest for an hour and then serve at room temperature. The more the salad rests, the better the flavors will meld together.