Save the cards, flowers and candy and give you Mother the gift of this salad instead.
Whether you’re hosting or taking a dish for potluck for Mother’s Day, you want a recipe that is not only easy but has that little something special. This Roasted Fruit and Veggie Quinoa Salad checks all of those boxes.
Mother’s Day was first celebrated in 1908 and was created by Anna Jarvis. It became an official U.S. holiday in 1914. It was a way of honuring her mother who had passed and honoring the sacrifices mothers made for their children.
Ironically she worked in the floral industry as a way to get the word out about this holiday to celebrate mom (hence giving your mom flowers). It was her idea to have people wear a white carnation to honour their mothers.
In her later life once the holiday started to take storm she started to denounce it and tried to get it removed from the calendar. As you can see, she was unsuccessful 😉
Fun fact: More phone calls are made on Mother’s Day than any other day of the year. On Mother’s Day phone traffic can spike by as much as 37 percent!
Now that I’ve skooled ya a bit let’s get back to this salad. There’s a lot of heavy hitters in terms of nutrients in this salad. If you want the step by step and to hear about the nutrients, check out my video on YouTube.
I used red quinoa is this recipe. Nutritionally it’s still as sound as regular quinoa however it’s mother’s day so I want my mom to see I put in a ‘lil extra effort 😉
Both red and regular quinoa are great sources of B Vitamins zinc, iron, phosphorus and magnesium however red quinoa is a better source of riboflavin, also known as Vitamin B2, having about 15% more than regular quinoa.
Riboflavin (Vitamin B2) goes a long way to helping your body produce energy. It also strengthens your immune system and helps your body to absorb more minerals. If you’re pregnant B2 is great for fetal development.
I find that red quinoa holds up a little bit better when I cook it than regular quinoa so it’s great in salads when you’re going to add in a lot of ingredients like this one.
The beauty of the salad is that you can eat it hot or cold. Personally I loooove it cold. It’s the perfect sit outside in the sun and enjoy with family and friends type of salad.
If you’ve checked out my Metabolism on Fire program then you know I’m all about eating healthier fats for weight loss and weight management.
Eating and living healthy is more confusing than ever.
To change your unhealthy eating habits it’s helpful to have some healthy hacks on hand to make it easier.
In the FREE Healthy Like a Boss mini course you’ll learn 3 easy healthy habit hacks to squeeze into your busy life.
JOIN INSTANTLY HERE!
Healthy fats are key in helping you to manage cravings for weight loss and weight management. That’s why I decided to incorporate avocados in this creamy coconut dressing.
Avocados are high in monounsaturated fat which gets converted into your body as energy rather than being stored as fat. This is great for boosting your metabolism and torching that stubborn belly fat.
I’ve also included apple cider vinegar in the dressing, another great food for weight loss and weight management. My favourite brand is Bragg’s. There are studies that show that if taken daily it can help reduce your waist line and stubborn belly fat. To get more of it daily, just add 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar and optional 1 teaspoon of honey to a glass of warm water and drink first thing in the morning before breakfast for maximum benefits.
Check out my video on YouTube to learn about the benefits of adding apple cider vinegar into your diet.
To all the mom’s out there, Happy Mother’s Day! I hope that you have a day where you feel loved, cherished and are reminded of how important you are in your children’s lives. I also hope that someone makes this salad for you 😉
Roasted Fruit and Veggie Quinoa Salad
Ingredients
For the salad
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Pinch of salt
- ¼ teaspoon chilli powder optional
- 1/2 red onion sliced
- 2 bell peppers cubed
- 1 apple cut into ½ inch wedges/slices
- 1 zucchini cubed
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 cup dry quinoa rinsed
- 1.5 cups water or veggie broth
- 1/3 cup dried cranberries chopped
- 1/3 cup dried apricots chopped
- 1 medium bunch spinach optional
- Fresh parsley for garnish optional
For the dressing
- 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves or 1 teaspoon dried
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/2 ripe avocado
- ½ cup coconut milk
- 1.5 tablespoons apple cider vinegar I like Bragg’s
- Squeeze of fresh lemon juice
- Drizzle of maple syrup optional
- ¼ teaspoon each sea salt and ground pepper add more to taste
- Pinch of Cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.
For Salad
- Combine red onion, bell peppers, apple and zucchini in a large bowl, add sea salt and olive oil. Place veggies in a single layer on prepared baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes. Flip halfway through.
- Heat a small saucepan, over medium high heat. Add coconut oil. When hot, add the garlic and saute for 1 minute or until fragrant. Add in rinsed quinoa and water/veggie broth. Bring it to a boil then cover and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and fluff with a fork after allowing to rest for 5 minutes.
For Dressing
- In a food processor or blender pulse together herbs and garlic until finely chopped. Add in avocado, coconut milk, vinegar, lime juice, salt, pepper and cayenne. Blend until smooth.
- In a large serving bowl combine cooked quinoa, roasted veggies/fruit mixture, cranberries and apricots. Gently mix in dressing and enjoy. Can enjoy hot or at room temperature.
Notes
Eating and living healthy is more confusing than ever.
To change your unhealthy eating habits it’s helpful to have some healthy hacks on hand to make it easier.
In the FREE Healthy Like a Boss mini course you’ll learn 3 easy healthy habit hacks to squeeze into your busy life.
JOIN INSTANTLY HERE!