The best way to get kids to eat healthy, nutritious food is to present it in an appealing way and include them in the preparation of the meal. The Peruvian seed, quinoa is so very good for us as it is packed with all the Essential Amino Acids (EAAs), but the challenge is getting kids used to its unusual taste (which is actually quite nutty and delicious).

Rainbow Salad ready to serve
I call this recipe Rainbow Salad because it uses all the colors of the rainbow (especially if you use the tri-color quinoa), however you could also use any of your family's favorite vegetables.
Preparation Time: Approximately 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 15 minutes
Makes: 6 - 8 servings
Ingredients
1 cup tri-color quinoa
1 cup filtered water
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup cashews
1/2 cup silverbeet
1/2 cup currants
1/2 cup salad dressing (to serve)

Raw quinoa ready to cook
Method
Cook the tri-color quinoa in a saucepan with the filtered water, just as you would rice. Alternatively, you could use plain quinoa (white or red) which is easier to find in the local supermarket.
Allow the cooked quinoa to cool and tip it into a salad bowl.

Vegetables ready to add to the salad
Allow the children to chop all the vegetables and add them to the cooled, cooked quinoa.

Cooked quinoa
Sprinkle the Rainbow Salad with currants and cashews and use a serving spoon to mix it all together.
Drizzle the salad with your favorite dressing (we used a basic mix of olive oil, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, sea salt and freshly cracked pepper).

Rainbow Quinoa Salad for your next barbecue
Serve as a side salad with sausages, steak or tofu, or maybe take it along to your next outdoor barbecue and enjoy.
Categories
#Salad
#Dinner
#Easy
#Lunch
#Healthy
#Vegetarian
#Quinoa