A rainbow of finely chopped sweet peppers mingle with quinoa, pistachios, and dried apricot in this fresh gluten free and vegan summer salad. Each serving is topped with a creamy cashew tzatziki sauce flavored with thinly sliced cucumber and fresh dill.
What a crazy past couple of weeks this has been! In the midst of finishing up my 200 hour yoga training, our house was flooded, then gutted, and then I decided to participate in a 17 hour restorative yoga training this past weekend. Oof! I originally intended for this post to be published two weeks ago but since the aforementioned events happened I’ve been doing good just to get up and shower every day. C’est la vie.
Moving on…we finally got a Juiceland here in Houston! I’ve been frequenting it ever since it opened because it’s the closest I can get to the Austin vibe and aesthetic without driving the 180 miles to the city itself. In addition to their amazing smoothies and juices they have a small selection of prepared foods. I decided to try the rainbow quinoa salad one day and instantly was obsessed. So much so that I came home and created my own version of it. Since it turned out so well I figured it wouldn’t hurt to share it with you here. It’s super tasty, super easy, and super colorful. Is that enough “supers” for you to give it a try? If not, just take my word for it and try it anyways 😉
Rainbow Quinoa Salad with Cashew Tzatziki
- Total Time: 30-32 minutes
- Yield: 6–8 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
A rainbow of finely chopped sweet peppers mingle with quinoa, pistachios, and dried apricot in this fresh gluten free and vegan summer salad. Each serving is topped with a creamy cashew tzatziki sauce flavored with thinly sliced cucumber and fresh dill.
Ingredients
for the quinoa salad:
- 1 cup quinoa
- 2 cups water
- zest of 1 lemon
- 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
- salt/pepper
- 2 small bell peppers or any variety of sweet peppers, diced
- 1 small cippolini onion or 1/2 a small red onion, minced
- 1/2 cup raw pistachios
- 1/3 cup diced dried apricot
for the cashew tzatziki:
- 1 cup cashews, soaked at least 4 hours or overnight
- 1/2 cup water
- juice of 1 lemon
- pinch of salt
- 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tbsp minced fresh dill
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced cucumber, patted dry
Instructions
To make the quinoa salad combine the quinoa and water in a pot. Bring the quinoa to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer, cover the pot, and cook it for 15-17 minutes until the water has been absorbed. Let the quinoa cool a bit then mix in the remaining ingredients and season as needed with sea salt and fresh cracked pepper.
To make the cashew tzatziki, combine the drained and rinsed cashews, water, lemon juice, salt, and nutritional yeast in a blender. Blend until smooth. Pour the tzatziki into a bowl, then stir in the dill and cucumber. Cover and chill until ready to use.
When you’re ready to serve, top each portion of the quinoa salad with the cashew tzatziki. Enjoy!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15-17 minutes
Great recipe! I also became obsessed with the Rainbow Quinoa Salad at Juiceland and was stoked to find this recipe to make at home. I’ve made it several times and I love it and my two teenagers like it, too. I make a double batch so we have leftovers because the quinoa keeps well and the peppers and onion make the quinoa more flavorful as it sits in the fridge. It’s a yummy way to get lots of nutritious food that doesn’t involve leafy greens.
I’m so glad you like it! It’s definitely a favorite of mine every summer 🙂
Thank you so much!! I made this a while back when Juiceland posted the video but it was pulled. Now I can make it again!!
Yay!! I hope you enjoy it 🙂