quinoa, tuna and corn salad

Quinoa, quinoa, quinoa.  I’m sure you’re seeing that word everywhere these days and that some of you are tired of seeing recipes with quinoa, but here’s another recipe just incase you’re not tired of it yet.  I admit I did go on a hiatus from cold quinoa dishes for about a year, as I was tired of eating it day after day.  I discovered new and unique ways to enjoy quinoa like sautéed in a patty or cheesy cake, perfect for lunch or as a side dish to your favorite soup or salad.  I also discovered I liked quinoa in the morning mixed in with some steel-cut oats or quinoa flakes mixed with goji berries.  In fact I’m having a bowl of my 5 minute hot quinoa cereal as I type this post, so good!

For some reason, maybe it was the heat of summer or just that I was craving tuna one day, but I decided to take a break from my cold quinoa hiatus and make up this salad.  This salad was calling out to me and I couldn’t ignore it. It’s a simple salad of quinoa mixed with some corn, tuna and fresh herbs, tossed with a simple dressing of  olive oil and white wine vinegar.  It’s the perfect salad to serve up for lunch or for a simple dinner.  You don’t even need to serve it up on a bed of greens, as it tastes great on its own. Not a fan of tuna or want a vegetarian option?  No worries, toss in some garbanzo beans or some crumbled feta or cheddar cheese in lieu of the tuna.  Quinoa is the base here, so add to it what you want!

quinoa, tuna and corn salad:

recipe adapted from Wholesome Kitchen
Serves 4

• 2 cups cooked quinoa, cooled – 1 cup dry quinoa equals approximately 3 cups cooked, you can use the leftover cup of quinoa for something else.  I used the extra quinoa in my morning steel-cut oats
• 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels or fresh cooked corn – I used frozen white corn
• 2 tablespoons fresh chopped chives
• 1/4 cup fresh flat leaf parsley – finely chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped
• 15-ounce can of tuna, drained
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
• 1 small head of Boston lettuce or butter lettuce, leaves torn – You want a soft lettuce here.  

Let’s prep up your ingredients.  Cook your quinoa according to package directions.  I made my quinoa up the night before, as I wanted to have it cool.  You can cook up the quinoa fresh, but you will want to rinse it under cold water in a fine mesh strainer after it’s been cooked to cool it down.  I usually use chicken or veggie broth in lieu of water when cooking up my quinoa as it gives it a bit more flavor. 

Now it’s time to heat up the frozen corn.  Take 1 tablespoon of olive oil and heat it up in a skillet over medium-low heat. Add in the corn and sauté for a few minutes until warmed through.  Set the corn aside to cool a bit.  You can also let the corn thaw out and throw it in the skillet for a minute or two as well.  I do that most of the time.

Wash and chop up your chives, cilantro and parsley.  Rinse and tear your lettuce leaves, drain your tuna. Look at those ingredients below, they look scrumptious just the way they are.

  Get our a large bowl and add in the 2 cups quinoa, corn, chives, parsley and cilantro.  Toss to combine.

Roughly flake in the tuna to the salad.  Gently toss to combine.

Whisk together the 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil and the 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar in a small bowl or liquid measuring cup.  Pour over the salad and toss well to combine.

Place the torn lettuce leaves on some salad plates.  Top the quinoa mixture over the lettuce and give a quick toss.  Serve immediately.  The salad taste great as leftovers on day two, just be sure to keep the lettuce leaves separate from the quinoa salad when storing the quinoa.

Like quinoa salads?  Then you have to try this Thai style quinoa salad that my friend Sharon made.  It’s amazing!

quinoa, tuna and corn salad

 

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Ingredients

• 2 cups cooked quinoa, cooled - 1 cup dry quinoa equals approximately 3 cups cooked, you can use the leftover cup of quinoa for something else. I used the extra quinoa in my morning steel-cut oats
• 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels or fresh cooked corn - I used frozen white corn
• 2 tablespoons fresh chopped chives
• ¼ cup fresh flat leaf parsley - finely chopped
• ¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped
• 15-ounce can of tuna, drained
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
• 1 small head of Boston lettuce or butter lettuce, leaves torn - You want a soft lettuce here.

Instructions

1. Let's prep up your ingredients. Cook your quinoa according to package directions. I made my quinoa up the night before, as I wanted to have it cool. You can cook up the quinoa fresh, but you will want to rinse it under cold water in a fine mesh strainer after it's been cooked to cool it down.
2. Now it's time to heat up the frozen corn. Take 1 tablespoon of olive oil and heat it up in a skillet over medium-low heat. Add in the corn and sauté for a few minutes until warmed through. Set the corn aside to cool a bit. You can also let the corn thaw out and throw it in the skillet for a minute or two as well. I do that most of the time.
3. Wash and chop up your chives, cilantro and parsley. Rinse and tear your lettuce leaves, drain your tuna.
4. Get our a large bowl and add in the 2 cups quinoa, corn, chives, parsley and cilantro. Toss to combine.
5. Roughly flake in the tuna to the salad. Gently toss to combine.
6. Whisk together the 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil and the 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar in a small bowl or liquid measuring cup. Pour over the salad and toss well to combine.
7. Place the torn lettuce leaves on some salad plates. Top the quinoa mixture over the lettuce and give a quick toss. Serve immediately. The salad taste great as leftovers on day two, just be sure to keep the lettuce leaves separate from the quinoa salad when storing the quinoa.

Nutrition Information

Serving size: serves 4

3.5.3251