Mango Blueberry Quinoa Salad with Lemon Basil Dressing

Earlier this summer I found a quinoa recipe with blueberries and mangoes that looked delicious. I have never made quinoa before but I thought I'd give it a try. With summer coming to an end I figured I should make it, so I tried this recipe last week. I left a few things out, like the lemon zest, dried cranberries and basil, mostly because I was making this in a hurry. The end result was still pretty tasty and I will definitely make this again.

Mango Blueberry Quinoa Salad with Lemon Basil Dressing

QUINOA
½ cup quinoa
1 cup water

FRUITS & VEGGIES
½ cup fresh blueberries
½ cup cubed ripe mangoes
½ cup cubed cucumbers
½ Tablespoon dried cranberries

LEMON BASIL DRESSING
1½ Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
¼ teaspoon lemon zest
10 Basil leaves, chopped finely
Salt and pepper

Place the quinoa and water in a medium skillet and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat, and simmer covered for about 15 minutes or till the quinoa is cooked. Remove the lid, and fluff the quinoa with a fork. Let it cool to room temperature.

While the quinoa is cooking, combine the fruits in a bowl and refrigerate till you are ready to serve the salad.

Whisk together all the dressing ingredients, except the chopped basil. Refrigerate till you are ready to serve. Chop and add the basil to the dressing just before serving. If you add it earlier, it will go black.

Add half the dressing to the quinoa and mix gently.

Assemble the salad just before serving – toss the quinoa, fruits and cucumbers together. Serve other half of the dressing on the side. Serve immediately.

Serves about 2.

Photos by JoJo