Mexican Quinoa with Green Goddess Dressing

A colourful and vibrant salad that’s nutrient-dense and perfect on its own or as a side. It tastes amazing plain or dressed in the Green Goddess Dressing. Best of all, this salad can be made in advance and kept in the fridge for up to a week, making it ideal to take to work. (The dressing is a good source of vitamin K which is needed for healthy blood clotting so keep this recipe on hand as you approach labour and birth).

| Serves 2-6 |

Ingredients for the salad

1 ½ cups uncooked tricolour quinoa (soaked overnight)

3 cups filtered water

1 tbsp ground cumin

½ tsp paprika

½ tsp dried oregano

salt and pepper to taste

2 raw corn cobs, kernels only

1 roma tomato, finely diced

½ each red, green and yellow capsicum, deseeded and finely diced

1 spring onion, finely sliced

½ bunch kale, finely chopped

1 bunch fresh coriander, roughly chopped

Ingredients for the Green Goddess Dressing

⅓ cup tahini

¼ cup lemon juice

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

½ tsp sweet smoked paprika

½ bunch fresh parsley

1 cup basil leaves, firmly packed

1 cup kale or baby spinach leaves, firmly packed

1 garlic clove

1 whole spring onion

⅔ cup filtered water

1 tbsp honey (optional)

Method

Rinse the quinoa thoroughly before cooking it using the absorption method.

When the quinoa is cooked, turn off the heat and stir through the spices, salt and pepper.

Allow to cool completely before adding the vegetables, kale and herbs. Mix well. Serve and enjoy like this or stir through the Green Goddess Dressing.

To make the dressing, place all ingredients in a high-speed blender and process until smooth and creamy.

*These recipes were inspired by Dr Libby’s Real Food Kitchen cookbook.