Grilled Vege + Quinoa Salad | Gluten Free, Low FODMAP

A delicious salad that is a fully fledged, vibrant, flavourful stand alone meal, or goes well served with grilled halloumi, chicken, seafood, beef or lamb. My Herb + Beef Meatballs, or Lamb Koftas would be perfect with this salad.

Use whatever seasonal vegetables you have from the garden or farmers market. Roasting or grilling the vegetables gives them a subtle, caramelised flavour, and veges like radish, kohl rabi or fennel, that you might not think to use, actually go great in a salad like this.

Grilled Vege and Quinoa Salad

MAKES

Serves 2 as a meal, or 4 as a side dish

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 cup, uncooked quinoa (I use white quinoa, you can use any colour or a combination)
  • 2 cups water
  • 4 cups combination of diced veges (kohl rabi, carrot, radish, Jap pumpkin, capsicum, zucchini, eggplant etc)
  • 2 tbsp macadamia oil
  • 2 tsp roast onion infused olive
  • 1 tsp garlic infused olive oil
  • 1 cup loose herb leaves (basil, coriander, mint, green spring onion ends, Flat leaf parsley or combination)
  • 1/2 to 1 cup fetta (soft, or crumbled)
  • Dressing (use one of the Vinaigrette Three Ways recipes)

OPTIONAL

  • 1 quarter piece of salt preserved lemon, flesh removed, rinsed and very finely chopped
  • 1 cup chopped Greens (kohl rabi leaves, silverbeet or kale)
  • 1/2 cup of chopped Nuts (pecans, walnuts or macadamias)
  • A handful of cherry tomatoes, diced cucumber, or blanched green beans
  • 1 tsp sumac or smoked paprika to sprinkle over, if desired

METHOD

  1. Grill or roast veges until tender (grill for about 20 minutes, bake for up to 1 hour, depending on the size of the pieces you’ve cut).
  2. Meanwhile, put quinoa in a sieve, and rinse with running water
  3. Cook quinoa. Microwave version: mix quinoa and 2 cups of water in a large microwave safe bowl, cover with a plate, cook on high for 15 minutes, stirring with a fork a couple of times. Stovetop version: mix quinoa and water in a saucepan, cook for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring intermittently with a fork, until just cooked.
  4. Cover bowl/ pot of quinoa, and allow to stand for 5 to 10 minutes. The water should be absorbed. Fluff with a fork.
  5. Meanwhile, make the dressing (following instructions in the Vinaigrette Three Ways recipe)
  6. Chop the herbs (retain some to serve)
  7. Remove vegetables from the oven or grill. Allow to cool a little.
  8. Combine veges with the herbs, quinoa, nuts and preserved lemon (if using) and the salad dressing. Transfer to serving bowl
  9. Serve warm or cold, with dobs or crumbles of fetta, and sprinkle of fresh herbs and sumac/ paprika.

MEAL PREP/ COOK ONCE, SERVE TWICE

  • If you have time/ inclination, soak the quinoa in the water for an hour or so, to help remove the saponins (a toxic, bitter chemical in the seed coating), but remember to drain and rinse away the soaking water
  • You can roast the vegetables several days in advance, store in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer until needed. It is also a great recipe to use up leftover roasted vegetables.
  • You can prep the individual elements in the morning, to bring together and serve as dinner
  • For Salad in a Jar, you can prep the salad for lunches for the week, but keep the dressing, fetta, and any meat, all in small separate containers,
  • Transform the leftover salad into dahl, samosas, curried lentil pies or jaffles, etc.

NOTES

  • I also cook the quinoa in bone broth/ stock to add extra flavour and nutrition when using it as a side for a casserole
  • According to the Monash Uni Low FODMAP Diet app, anything more than 1/2 cup of sweet potato is considered higher in FODMAP polyols. Also note that 1/2 cup of butternut pumpkin is higher in FODMAPs. Fennel bulb is also low at 1/2 cup per serve, but becomes high above 1 cup.
  • If you are new to a Low FODMAP Way of Eating, check out my Beginner’s guide.
  • If you do not require low FODMAP recipe, you can use 1 small clove of garlic, crushed, instead of the infused oil, as well as veges like corn, sugar snap peas, snow peas and red onion. I used to love using roasted beetroot in this salad, and it would turn the quinoa pink!
  • You can buy Australian grown quinoa, I use either Kindred or Three Farmers.

Grilled Vege + Quinoa Salad | Gluten Free, Low FODMAP | Growing Home