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Quinoa and Apricot Salad

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raw vegan Quinoa and Apricot Salad served on a white decorative plate

~ raw, vegan, gluten-free ~

Quinoa is a VEGETABLE PROTEIN and LOOKS LIKE a grain but is actually a seed.  You can cook quinoa or sprout it.  Right now I eat my quinoa cooked because my body digests it better.  But to keep it raw, you can and should sprout it.  Bottom line… listen to what your body responds best to.

Quinoa is considered a “complete source of protein” because it includes all nine essential amino acids, and gets bonus points for being low in fat and carbs.  Not only that but gluten-free, rich in fiber and starch, which makes it ideal for aiding digestion.  In fact, quinoa has twice as much fiber as oatmeal!

When preparing quinoa, rinse, rinse and rinse it some more before cooking or sprouting… even if the bag that it came in says that it has been pre-rinsed.   It has a natural covering called saponin (a bitter resin that keeps birds away), and if not properly rinsed, it will keep you away too!  I had trusted bags of quinoa before that claimed that it had been rinsed already.

It took only one time of preparing it straight out of the bag to experience my first taste of this saponin… needless to say, the whole recipe had to go straight into compost!  Now, I always rinse, just to make sure.

Now, to really amp up this recipe, I am adding in some chia seeds! Take everything that I just shared about quinoa and add in chia seeds which are an excellent source of fiber at 10 grams per ounce (about 2 tablespoons). They also contain protein and minerals including as iron, calcium, magnesium, and zinc.

This dish can be served cold, at room temp or warmed in the dehydrator.  All three ways are actually amazing.  One thing that always tickles me is when I managed to bring two flavors together that I would never expect to pair well.  Apricot and cumin!  This coming from a gal who used to shake in her socks when she opened the spice drawer. hehe

Ingredients:

Yields 2 cups

Dressing:

Preparation:

  1. Cook or Sprout quinoa:
    • Cook ~  Rinse quinoa till water runs clear.  Combine water and quinoa in a medium-sized saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat.  Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer 15 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed.  Turn off heat and let stand covered 5 minutes.
    • Sprout ~ to make 1 cup finished product, put 2/3 cup of quinoa in a jar.  Add 2-3 times as much cool (60-70 degree) water.  Mix quinoa up to assure even water contact for all.  Soak for 20-30 minutes. Then drain off the soak water, rinse well and drain.  Place a mesh lid on the jar and set anywhere out of direct sunlight and at room temperature (70° is optimal).  Rinse and Drain again every 8-12 hours until the tails form.  Now it is ready to use.
  2. Rehydrate the dried apricots in enough warm water to cover them for 15+ minutes.
  3. After cooking or sprouting, combine the quinoa with the apricots, chia seeds, and almonds.  Set aside to make the dressing.
  4. In a small jar combine the lemon juice, olive oil, honey, cumin and salt.  Put the lid on tightly and shake until the dressing is well combined.  Trust me, this step doesn’t work well without the lid. ;)
  5. Pour the dressing over the quinoa mixture and stir together.
  6. In the photo above, I packed the quinoa mix into a small plastic container, then turned it over and popped out this sweet shape.  Have fun :)

11 thoughts on “Quinoa and Apricot Salad

  1. Petra says:

    This looks like a delicious recipe! As it is fresh-apricot time, I would do it with the fresh fruits. and maybe serve cold, as it is very hot here in the Netherlands at the moment!
    Interesting you can do this with sprouted quinoa, never thought of it (I use sprouted quinoa for breakfast).
    Thanks for this and other inspiring and lovely recipes!

    • amie-sue says:

      Oh indeed Petra… fresh apricots… dried apricots… both are excellent! If you make it, keep me posted and let me know what you think. Have a great weekend, amie sue

  2. Cheryl Rowder says:

    A great site- can’t wait for more.

  3. KT says:

    Once again you have out done yourself! This is delish! One of my husbands favorites and I have made many of your recipes! We molded it and put it over some arugula with some tamari around the plate, the salty and the peppery flavors were great with the slight sweetness of this dish. It looked like a gourmet meal!

    • amie-sue says:

      Awesome KT! It sounds so gourmet for sure. It is fun to plate that way once in a while isn’t it? Thank you for sharing and have a blessed weekend, amie sue

  4. lee says:

    Hey Amie Sue! Thanks for such a great recipe, everyone that tried it loved it :). I wanted to also ask your permission to include some of your recipes and ingredient info in a cookbook that I’m making for my friends as a wedding gift. You just have such stellar recipes that I would love to share with them. I will use my own pictures of the recipes but if you would allow me to use your recipes that would be great. Let me know :)
    Thanks,
    Lee Geleynse

    • amie-sue says:

      Hello Lee, thank you very much. I appreciate that you shared all of this. :) Yes, you are welcome to share my recipes, just be sure to add to each one that is was from Nouveauraw.com. What a blessed and wonderful wedding gift. :) I want a copy. lol Have a great weekend, amie sue

  5. Gayle says:

    I do a tea this time of the year (usually December) for the ladies that come to our potlucks during the year. I think this will be on my menu. Looks pretty as well as special.

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