Tricolour Quinoa Salad with Roast Vegetables

Deliciously sweet roasted baby peppers, caramelised eggplant and tangy lemon mingled in with nutty tricolour quinoa and a zingy lemon garlic dressing. A colourful vegan quinoa recipe that would shine at any potluck meal.

Why I Love Tricolour Quinoa Salad with Roast Vegetables

When wandering through my local grocer, I came across some baby peppers. The beautiful orange and red hues popped out at me, so of course, I had to add to my basket.

As soon as I got home, I needed inspiration on what to do with them. Flicking through my cookbooks, I stopped at one of Yotam Ottolenghi’s recipes which included roasted lemon.

Again the colours were super attractive and I wanted to try the flavours of roasting lemons.

The end result? Layers of uber flavours and textures in this delicious Mediterranean inspired roast vegetable quinoa salad.

We have a peppery rocket mixed with nutty tricolour quinoa, sweet roasted baby peppers, caramelised eggplant and a burst of tangy citrus with the roasted lemons.

Plus a scattering of herbs and pine nuts and all tied together with zippy lemon garlic dressing. Wow, lots going on but totally potluck worthy.

What To Take To Potluck Meal?

When I get asked to bring a dish to a friend’s house for dinner, so many questions run through the head.

Should I bring something to reheat? What about allergies? Are there any vegetarians there? And salad, hmm will it get soggy? What about desserts? Forget that; you can’t bake!

Finally, I have created a dish that I can prepare in advance, bring along to any potluck meal and fit right in. No soggy salad. No need to reheat. This works as a side salad or substantial enough for a main dish.

Great for vegetarians, gluten-free, lactose intolerant and cilantro hating friends. And if there are any nut allergies, just omit the pine nuts. Best of all, it’s delicious!

We have created so many potluck friendly salad. Try our Beetroot Cured Salmon Salad with Black Fish Roe, Green Bean, Truffle Butter Breadcrumbs and Quail Egg Salad or Purple Cauliflower Salad with Lemon Mustard Tahini.

These are our tried and tested potluck salads and have always presented really well even after a few hours!

Five Fun Facts About Quinoa (pronounced KEEN-WAH)

• We eat quinoa like a grain, but it is not a grain at all. In fact, it is a protein-rich seed derived from a vegetable that belongs to a family of spinach and beets. And since quinoa is not from wheat, it is a gluten-free option for grains.
• There are 120 known varieties of quinoa, but the most common types are white, red and black. You can cook them separately or use them together as a tricolour quinoa.
• Quinoa is widely adaptable and thrive in diverse conditions. It can grow in low rainfall, high altitudes, hot sun and freezing cold temperatures making it a very sustainable crop.
• Quinoa has a natural coating called saponin which can make cooked quinoa taste bitter—rinsing the quinoa before cooking helps to reduce the saponin.
• Fermenting quinoa can turn into a traditional Andean beer called Chicha.

What is Tricolour Quinoa?

Considered a superfood, the three main quinoa varieties commercially grown are white, red and black.

White quinoa is milder in flavour and has a fluffy texture when cooked which is why it works as a substitute for rice.

Red quinoa has a more robust flavour, slightly more chewy and nutty flavour.

Black quinoa is considered to be somewhat more earthy, and along with red quinoa, they would be more preferred in salads as they hold shape better than white.

Whilst there are subtle flavour differences between the different white, red and black, they can be used interchangeably. The reason why you can buy tricolour quinoa.

Some people prefer not to use tricolour as there are slight differences in cooking time between the three colours.

I actually do prefer the different textures and colourful mix, especially when combining it in a vegan quinoa recipe.

How to Make Tricolour Quinoa Salad with Roast Vegetables

How To Cook Tricolour Quinoa

There are a few different methods and loads of useful tips out there in how to cook tricolour quinoa. I can tell you the first few times I did try, the quinoa turned out a bit gluggy, so if this is your first time cooking quinoa, it may take a few attempts to get it right.

Generally speaking, if you cook 1 part quinoa, you need 2 parts liquid. This can be water or stock.

I cook my tricolour quinoa over the stove but you can also do this in the microwave or even in a rice cooker. Always check the packaging for instructions as quantities and cooking time may vary.

First up you need to rinse the tricolour quinoa through a strainer.

Add rinsed tricolour quinoa to a medium saucepan. Add 1 cup of water and bring the mixture to a boil. Then reduce the heat and simmer gently.

You can cover the saucepan with a lid and let the tricolour quinoa cook, but this can cause it to be a bit more gluggy, so I leave the lid off.

Simmer for approximately 10-15 minutes or until the water has been absorbed. Remove the saucepan from heat and cover with a lid. Let quinoa steam for about 3-5 minutes.

Remove the lid and use a fork to fluff up the tricolour quinoa. Set aside for assembly.

How to Roast Vegetables

When I prepared this recipe, I placed my eggplant, baby peppers and lemon to roast together. Both the eggplant and baby peppers take a similar time to roast in the oven whilst the lemons will be slightly quicker.

Hence, just need to watch them and remove them from the oven earlier. However, you can also roast separately.

Heat the oven to 200°C/ 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment.

Cut the eggplant into 2-3 cm cubes. Brush eggplant with 1 tbsp of olive oil and season with salt. Seasoning eggplant with salt before cooking will help draw the excess water as well as seasoning it from the inside.

Roast eggplant in the oven for approximately 25-30 minutes until golden and soft. They will shrink in size when roasted. Remove from the baking sheet from the oven to cool.

Wash baby peppers and season with 1 tsp of olive oil and pinch of salt and pepper to taste. If you are using a large bell pepper instead, cut into 2 cm thick strips and season as above.

Roast baby peppers for approximately 25-30 minutes until the skin is charred and soft. They will look slightly collapsed. Remove from the baking sheet from the oven to cool.

Cut lemon into thick 1cm rounds. Season with 1 tsp of olive oil and pinch of salt.

Place lemons in the oven and roast for 15 – 20 minutes until lemon starts to caramelise. Remove from the baking sheet from the oven to cool.

Once cool, cut the roasted lemon rounds into quarters.

How to Prepare the Salad

Wash rocket leaves and give it a shake to remove excess water.

Wash and roughly chop parsley.

Thinly cut spring onions (scallions) into slices. Use both the green and white part of the onion. Set aside.

Over medium-low heat, dry roast pine nuts in a medium fry pan until golden brown. Stir and move frequently to avoid burning. Once they are ready, remove quickly from the fry pan.

How to Make Lemon Garlic Dressing

This zingy garlicky dressing is perfect to pep up the vegan quinoa recipe. The lemon portion is well noted in this lemon garlic dressing so if you prefer less acid, drop the lemon juice to 1 tablespoon.

Peel and mince the garlic with a knife or use a garlic press.

Add crushed garlic, lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil to a mixing bowl. Whisk together to combine.

Taste first and then season with salt and pepper.

If you do find the garlic overpowering, I find adding a ½ teaspoon of maple syrup will mellow out the flavours.

How to Assemble the Roast Vegetable Quinoa Salad

In a large mixing bowl, combine rocket, tricolour quinoa, roasted eggplant, roasted baby peppers, roasted lemon together, spring onions, parsley and pine nuts.

Drizzle with lemon garlic dressing and toss so the mixture is thoroughly combined.

Taste and season with additional salt and pepper if required. Let the salad sit for 10 minutes so the lemon garlic dressing is well absorbed by vegan quinoa salad. Transfer to a large serving bowl or platter and serve.

Well, what’s not to love about this delicious roast vegetable quinoa salad? Loads of delicious charred roasted flavours, nutty tricolour quinoa for texture and zingy lemon garlic dressing all rolled into one bite.

It’s a wonderfully colourful gluten-free salad to have in the middle of the table. You can make it in advance and even take on a picnic or share with friends for a vegan potluck meal.

Let us know once you try our Tricolour Quinoa Salad with Roast Vegetables.

That’s all!

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