Quinoa and Parsley Salad Recipe – Vegetarian and Delicious

Here is another great salad from the Cooking Light Pick Fresh Cookbook – it is time to harvest fresh herbs and lettuces in the garden before they start to bolt. And dontcha know we are using one of my favorite herbs, parsley, to build a delicious Mediterranean salad recipe that is vegetarian and will knock your socks off with flavor yumminess.

Quinoa and Parsley Salad Recipe

Hands-on time: 10 min.

Total time: 34 min.

• 1 cup water
• 1⁄2 cup uncooked quinoa
• 3⁄4 cup parsley leaves
• 1⁄2 cup thinly sliced celery
• 1⁄2 cup thinly sliced green onions
• 1⁄2 cup finely chopped dried apricots
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1⁄4 cup unsalted pumpkin seed  kernels, toasted

1.  Bring 1 cup water and quinoa to a boil in a medium saucepan. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Spoon into a bowl; fluff with a fork. Add parsley, celery, onions, and apricots.

2. Combine lemon juice and next 4 ingredients (through black pepper) in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add to quinoa mixture, and toss well. Top with pumpkinseeds. Serves 4 (serving size: about 2⁄3 cup).

CALORIES 238; FAT 8.6g (sat 1.3g, mono 4.3g, poly 2.8g); PROTEIN 5.9g; CARB 35.1g; FIBER 3.6g; CHOL 0mg;  IRON 4.6mg; SODIUM 172mg; CALC 47mg

Special thanks to the team at Cooking Light for sharing the recipe and photos above. Credits go to – Photo: Andrea Dorsey; Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine

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Parsley is one of those herbs that used to be considered garnish, but is absolutely a power flavor enhancer in modern day cooking. I grow parsley in my shade vegetable garden. You see it here (to the right) mixed with celery, kale, Swiss chard, and basil and it grows magnificently. Parsley grows best with consistent watering. If it begins to bolt, simply cut the flower tops off to encourage leaf production. Try growing parsley to enhance your summer salad recipes.

If you would like to order the Cooking Light Pick Fresh Cookbook just go to this LINK for  more information. The Quinoa and Parlsey Salad recipe is so tasty, much like the rest of the recipes from this gorgeous book.