A superfoods quinoa salad with avocado and toasted cashews. Take it next level by adding a creamy Green Goddess dressing, then whip up some quick pickles and you’ll have yourself a perfectly flavour-balanced meal.
Well, avocados are back on the menu. No more of this $5 a pop business! Today I have the most delicious quinoa salad with avocado, a creamy Green Goddess dressing, and tangy quick pickles. Flavour explosion right here!
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How to make quick pickles
I do love me a good pickled vege, and the salty-sour-tangy combo is always such a hit in salads. Fortunately, you don’t need to make them days in advance, you just need to be a little organised in the kitchen and get them prepped before you start making your meal. By the time you’re done – voila – quick pickles are go!
I’ve decided to use finely sliced red onion and savoy cabbage for this recipe. The trick is to use a mandolin to get them thin and uniform.
You simply place them on a large plate, then pour over a liberal amount (about 2 tablespoons each) of umeboshi (a Japanese vinegar made from small plums) and brown rice vinegars.
Toss to coat, then place a flat plate over the top. Now you’ll need something heavy to weight it down – I have a marble mortar and pestle which does the trick.
Leave them to do their pickly thing while you cook, then drain the excess liquid off before you add to your meal. So easy.
How to make a Green Goddess dressing
A Green Goddess dressing is typically a combo of fresh herbs with anchovies and mayonnaise. It was created by a hotel chef in San Francisco back in the 20’s and has reached celebrity status ever since.
I’ve veganised it, of course, and have used raw cashews with olive oil and water as a mayo alternative.
In my recipe, you simply combine the nuts, oil and water, with a generous handful of fresh coriander (cilantro) leaves, lemon juice, sea salt and garlic, and blend till creamy.
Quinoa salad with avocado
The salad itself is fairly simple, the key is to use a variety of fresh mixed greens and herbs. Think mizuna lettuce (Japanese mustard greens – they have a hint of spice!), rocket, watercress, dandelion greens and fresh mint. If you have any calendula petals from the garden, add those too.
The quinoa is cooked in water or vegetable stock, then combined with your lovely salad mix, thickly sliced avocado, shredded carrot, baked cherry tomatoes, toasted cashews and spring onion.
Once you add the dressing and quick pickles – it’s just magic!
More healthy plant-based salads
If you’re in need of even more tasty salad ideas, step this way:
- Raw Beet Salad with Kale, Carrot, Fennel and Mint
- Vegan Caesar Salad
- Nectarine Salad with Raspberry Balsamic Vinaigrette
- Roasted Kabocha Salad with Maple Spiced Pecans
- Quinoa Tabbouleh (one of my faves peeps, must try!)
Hope you love this one guys – you’ll be quick pickle converts in no time I’m sure!
Thanks for reading and see you next week,
Lauren.
If you make and enjoy this recipe, please leave a rating below. And better yet – leave me a comment to tell me how you got on, or just say hi – I LOVE hearing from you. Follow me on Instagram, Facebook or Pinterest to see more of my everyday recipes and wellness tips.
📖Recipe
Quinoa Salad with Avocado and Quick Pickles
Ingredients
Quinoa Salad:
- ½ cup quinoa
- 1 cup or more water/vegetable stock
- 4 cups mixed greens and herbs mizuna, rocket, mint, dandelion greens
- 1 avocado thick sliced
- 1 large carrot peeled and cut into matchsticks
- ¾ cup cherry tomatoes
- 1 spring onion sliced
- ½ cup cashews
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
Quick Pickles:
- ½ cup savoy cabbage shredded
- 1 small red onion sliced on a mandolin
- 2 tablespoons umeboshi vinegar
- 2 tablespoons brown rice vinegar
Green Goddess Dressing:
- 2 heaped tablespoons raw cashews
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 pinches coarse sea salt
- Juice of half a lemon
- 1 handful coriander leaves
- 1 clove garlic peeled
Instructions
Quick Pickles:
- Start with the pickles as these take an hour to prep. Finely slice the red onion and cabbage on a mandolin, place on a plate, pour over the two vinegars, then cover with a flat plate and place a heavy weight (such as a mortar and pestle) over the top. Leave to pickle for one hour while you prep the rest of the meal, then drain off the liquid ready for use.
Green Goddess Dressing:
- Combine all ingredients in a blender and whiz till smooth, set aside.
Quinoa Salad:
- Pre-heat your oven to 180˚C (356˚F). Scatter cashews over a baking tray and bake till golden – don’t burn them! Next, halve the cherry tomatoes, place on a baking tray and drizzle with olive oil – cook till soft.
- Wash all your greens and spin them completely dry in a salad spinner.
- Rinse quinoa well, then add to a pot of boiling water/vegetable stock, cover and reduce to a simmer. Cook till the spirals have released, about 10-15 minutes. Drain well, and add to a large mixing bowl.
- Add the dry greens and massage gently through the quinoa to combine. Add the cooked tomatoes, toasted cashews, avocado, carrot, spring onion and your quick pickles.
- Add your dressing and gently fold through all the ingredients. Enjoy!
Natasha Bagley
Do you have to use these types of vinegar for the pickles or could you substitute with other vinegars? Eg. Apple cider vinegar, white/red wine vinegar etc?
Ascension Kitchen
Hi Natasha, I haven't tried - possibly - but umeboshi has a very distinct flavour, which I think works really well here, you could always make a small batch and see how you go 🙂