Quinoa and Butterbean Salad

Ingredients

150g Cooked Butterbeans

1/3 cup of Quinoa

150ml Water

Handful of Sweetcorn and Green Peas

50g Cashew Nuts

50g Sliced Carrots

50g Roughly Chopped Red Pepper

50g Green Beans

Dressing

3 tbsp. Balsamic Vinegar

1 Clove Chopped Garlic

1 tbsp. Dijon Mustard

Salt / pepper A/R

Method

1. In a small deep pan add the water and quinoa, bring to a boil and simmer till all the water has absorbed
2. In another small pan boil the green beans and carrots until soft
3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the balsamic vinegar, garlic and mustard. Add the ingredients to the bowl and toss so that the ingredients are well coated with the dressing

With a cold winter like this and spring round the corner, I love to remind myself of a lot of summer foods, with this quick and simple recipe you can impress your friends with the beautiful colours and flavours from this salad. As tasty as this can be, it is a very nutritious meal/snack which gives you a good amount of proteins, carbohydrates and healthy fats.

Quinoa has been in the limelight over the past few years and has been described as a superfood, as it is well known of being a complete protein. It is now becoming more popular in the diets of individuals who are more health conscious of their diet. It is an ingredient that comes from the ‘seed’ family and is great for people who are on a gluten free diet and is an ingredient that is becoming well known of its health benefits. Current studies have shown quinoa heart health, digestion, cholesterol, diabetes and has anti-inflammatory benefits making this amongst one of my new favourite ingredient in my cooking.