Having a plate full of lively colors every day of the week keeps you healthy inside out! Both nutritionally and aesthetically, this is the right dish to introduce into your weekly menu!              

 

170g /1 cup quinoa

400ml /1 ¾ cup water

¼ teaspoon sea salt

60g / ½ small beet, finely grated

1 tablespoon umeboshi vinegar

20g/ 1 cup dry arame

460ml/ 2 cups water

1 teaspoon tamari

1 tablespoon lemon juice

3 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

3 spring onion greens, chopped fine

2 tablespoons dry-roasted sunflower seeds (optional)

 

 

Boil 1 ¾ cups water. Wash quinoa, drain well and add to the boiling water together with ¼ teaspoon salt. Lower the heat, cover and let simmer for 20 minutes or until all water is absorbed. Let cool slightly.

To cook arame, put them in a small pot, add water and let boil, uncovered. Lower the heat, half-cover and cook for 15 minutes. Drain off access water, add tamari and quickly stir over low heat until tamari is absorbed. You will get more arame than you need for this salad, but they keep in the fridge for 10 days, so don’t forget to use the leftovers during the week!

 

In a big salad bowl mix grated beet with umeboshi vinegar (it helps to accentuate the bright pink beet color). Add cooked quinoa, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 4 tablespoons cooked arame and oil. Just before serving mix in chopped onion greens.

 

Taste and season with some more salt/lemon juice if necessary. To add extra texture to this salad, sprinkle dry-roasted sunflower seeds over it, serve and enjoy!

 

Recipe adapted from my cookbook The Vegan Pantry (http://buyithealthy.com/i-20734414-the-vegan-pantry-dunja-gulin.html)