Boring lunches? This is the fix! This Coconut Lime Quinoa Salad is a great make-ahead big-batch recipe that will take your tastebuds to the beach on gloomy days

  • Prep Time: 20 min
  • Cook Time: 12 mins
  • Total Time: 32 minutes
  • Yield: about 11 cups
  • Category: salad
  • Method: boil

Ingredients

  • 1 cup quinoa, uncooked, + 2 cups water
  • 1/2 cup finely sliced red onion
  • 1 cup diced mango or peach chunks
  • 3 cups cucumber, diced
  • 1 cup shredded carrot
  • 1 ½ cups shredded purple cabbage or radicchio
  • 2 cups shelled edamame, defrosted
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened toasted coconut flakes
  • ¼ cup roughly chopped almonds
  • 2 tbsp each pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds
  • ¼ cup finely chopped parsley
  • 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh basil
  • a few good shakes of black pepper

For the dressing:

  • 2 tbsp tahini
  • juice of 1 lime
  • 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1/2 cup water

Instructions

  • Boil the quinoa in water according to package directions. This should take about 12-15 minutes, and all water should be absorbed. Remove it from the heat, fluff with a fork and allow it to cool.
  • Whisk together the dressing in a small bowl and set aside.
  • Prepare all remaining ingredients as indicated above and toss them together in a very large bowl. When the quinoa has cooled, add it to the mixture, along with the dressing. Stir well to coat.
  • While this salad can be enjoyed right away if you like, for best results, let it sit for at least 30 minutes – or overnight if you can. The quantity of dressing used is fairly small relative to the size of the salad because the lime, fresh herbs and peaches do an amazing job at creating flavour and moisture.