Quinoa, spinach and seed salad recipe
Quinoa, spinach and seed salad recipe
A Plant Based approach to eating and diet has been scientifically proven to reduce many illness and disease symptoms as well as many chronic diseases themselves. Refined sugars, gluten, heated oils and animal products are inflammatory and have a profoundly negative impact on our health. That doesn’t mean you can never eat them again…it just means: Know their harmful effects, keep them to a minimum, and when it comes to animal products, choose only best quality organic.
Many people don’t know where to start when it comes to a plant strong or plant based lifestyle. I was certainly there in 2017 before I became fully plant based. As a competitive cyclist, I was paralysed at the thought of making the change to plant based, even though I had researched it’s benefits extensively. ‘Where am I going to get sufficient protein from? Where will I shop? What will I buy? How will I prepare it? What the hell is quinoa anyway? How do you cook it? Is it delicious? Will I even like it?’
Through my four year plant based journey, I have gained optimum health, energy and vitality…and learned so much. And through this journey and vertical learning curve, these recipes were born.
Enjoy! This quinoa spinach and seed salad recipe is particularly simple and super deliciousness.
Yours in plants, pedals and peace,
Chantal Du Chenne
Functional Medicine Health Coach
Quinoa, spinach and seed salad recipe ingredients:
500g brown or shiitake mushrooms
3 cloves garlic
2 TBSP olive oil
3 whole red onions
225 g fresh baby spinach
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 avo cubed
2 cups cooked quinoa (1 cup quinoa to 2 cups organic vegetable stock/water. Boil 15-20 mins
1/4 cup dry roasted pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup dry roasted pine nuts
Quinoa, spinach and seed salad recipe method:
Cook two cups Quinoa and set aside
Saute garlic and mushrooms in organic vegetable stock until golden brown (5 mins)
Add finely chopped onions and mix
Add fresh spinach, reduce heat to low, cover with a lid, and let it cook for about 1minute, or until the spinach wilts.
Add 2 cups of cooked quinoa and continue to cook on low heat until the quinoa warms
Add cherry tomatoes and cubed avo
Season with a dash of himalayan salt and ground black pepper
Drizzle with olive oil
Top with roasted pumpkin seeds and pine nuts
You can also include flax, chia, hemp and black sesame
Ginger Turmeric Dressing
Both ginger and turmeric bring their own unique plant compounds for health and wellbeing. Ginger has been shown to support immune function, lower blood pressure, and alleviate pain. Curcumin (turmeric) has been shown to boost blood flow, decrease inflammation, and fight certain types of cancer.
Double this tasty dressing recipe to stay nourished all week long as you add it to salads, grain bowls, or steamed vegetables
Ingredients
2 tbsp tahini
¼ cup orange juice (preferably freshly squeezed)
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tbsp organic maple syrup
¾ tsp ground ginger
¾ tsp ground tumeric
¼ tsp salt (optional)
¼ tsp ground black pepper optimizes turmeric’s function)
Method
Add all ingredients to a medium bowl and whisk until smooth. Alternatively, you can add the ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth.
Taste for additional flavors of your choice (more turmeric for earthiness, more ginger for spice, or more tahini for a nutty flavor).
Substitutions
Instead of powdered ginger and turmeric, use about ¾ tablespoons of freshly grated ginger and turmeric.
In place of tahini, try almond butter (you may need to add water for a thinner consistency depending on the thickness of the almond butter).
Sugar-free
Use date paste instead of maple syrup.
Storage
Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 5–7 days.
Blog post written by Chantal Du Chenne, Functional Medicine Health Coach & Gut Health advocate
BIO: Chantal is a B.Sc.Hons Allied Health with an international diploma in Nutrition and Sports Nutrition. Chantal is completing her internationally a-credited Functional & Integrative Health Coaching certification. She is also a passionate Gut Health advocate, specialising in the improvement and management of the chronic diseases of lifestyle, the illnesses and diseases associated with dietary excess and their relationship to leaky gut and dysbiosis (imbalance) of the gut microbiome. These conditions include IBS, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, overweight, obesity, acne, eczema, depression, anxiety, auto-immune, hormone imbalance, cognitive decline etc.
Over her 25 year career, Chantal has held various positions within the health and wellness industry – including 10 years as the Executive Head of Vodacom’s corporate wellness & mobile health programs. Chantal is the owner/ founder of the DripBar which offers vitamin and mineral drip therapy in improving micronutrient deficiencies. She is also the founder/owner of a Kombucha brewery which produces the brand of organic green tea ‘booch’ called theFarmacy.
Chantal is a competitive cyclist, a plant strong vegan and mom to two grown up girls.
To book a health coaching session: info@thedripbar.co.za or chantal@healthtrac.global
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This blog post contains information that is not designed to take the place of,
substitute, or replace any form and method of professional or medical advice
and treatment or medicine. All content is the author’s opinion and is not
intended to diagnose and remedy. The facts and figures contained in this
document are presented solely for informational and educational purposes
only.