Among the most popular quinoa recipes at present are the different versions of its salad. One of these versions is the spicy tomato, cucumber and quinoa salad. This has been loved by a lot of people at present because of its healthy nature and rich flavors. For you to prepare this recipe, you need to have the following ingredients: quinoa, water, salt, finely minced red onion, finely diced tomatoes, diced cucumber, chopped cilantro, seeded and finely chopped serrano or jalapeno peppers, sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, fresh lime juice and sliced avocado.
The first thing that you should do when preparing this recipe is to place quinoa in a bowl along with cold water. Allow it to sit for about five minutes before draining quinoa using a strainer and then rinsing it properly. Boil water in a saucepan and add quinoa and salt in it. Boil again and then simmer for fifteen minutes. Once done, you should drain off excess liquid in the pan with the help of a strainer. Cover the pan using a dishtowel. Set it aside for about ten minutes.
The next step towards preparing this recipe is to place the diced cucumber in your colander. Sprinkle salt over it. Toss this and set aside for fifteen minutes. After that, the cucumber should be rinsed using cold water. Drain it on paper towels. The onion should also be placed in a bowl. Cover it with cold water and allow it to sit for five minutes. Drain onion and then rinse it. Drain again on paper towels. After that, you can start combining cilantro, tomato, chili, lime juice, vinegar and olive oil in a bowl. Add onion and cucumber into it. Use salt for its seasoning. The quinoa and cilantro are then added into the mixture. Toss the ingredients well and make some adjustments on its seasonings if necessary. Before serving, make sure that the salad is garnished with cilantro sprigs and sliced avocado.