Quinoa Salad with Zucchini & Lemon ♥ Recipe

Today's grain salad recipe: Quick-cooking quinoa tossed with sautéed zucchini and brightened with lemon. Low carb. Weight Watchers 0 points. Vegan.

For anyone feeling less than svelte after the holidays, this easy grain salad pairs two of my favorite ingredients, quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wa) and zucchini (pronounced zoo-KEEN-ee). You might say that I'm 'keen' on quinoa and zucchini, yes? (Ha. I hear you groaning now.)

Quinoa is a high-protein grain. It's also lighter tasting and faster cooking. And easier to digest. Zucchini is available year-round, inexpensive and easy to chop.

Toss quinoa and zucchini together into a salad with a little lemon, whaddaya get?
A great refrigerator salad for dieters, high in protein, low in calories, easy to keep around
A lovely grain salad, low in fat and high in protein, easy to carry to a potluck, say

Honestly, this salad may not knock off your socks. It's not even a salad that people will look up and say, "Who made this? I'd like the recipe."

But it deserves its status as a staple in my house with added virtues of simplicity and adaptability. In fall, cubes of roasted cauliflower, sweet potato or butternut squash could be added. In summer, stir in kernels of corn sliced right off the cob, also some halves of grape tomato. Yes, you could say, I'm keen on it.

TESTIMONIALS
"Even with my bungle, a yummy recipe!" ~ My Domicile Style

RECIPE for QUINOA SALAD with ZUCCHINI & LEMON

Hands-on time: 15 minutes
Time to table: 25 minutes
Makes 6 cups

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound zucchini, trimmed, quartered lengthwise, then cut cross-wise every half inch
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

2-1/2 cups water
1-1/4 cups quinoa, rinsed under running water
1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 bulb fennel, chopped fine
3 - 4 scallions, white and green parts both, chopped
Zest and juice (about 2 tablespoons) of a lemon
Chopped parsley (or dill or another fresh herb)

In a large skillet or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil on MEDIUM until shimmery. Add the zucchini and salt, toss to coat with fat. Let cook, turning every couple of minutes, until zucchini pieces are crisp-tender. Transfer to a mixing bowl.

Add the water, quinoa and salt to the pan and bring to a boil. Cover and let cook for about 15 minutes until the quinoa is cooked through but still a little chewy. If needed, drain, then add to the mixing bowl.

Stir together the cooked zucchini, cooked quinoa and remaining ingredients. Serve warm or, my favorite, room temperature. Lemony flavor will develop over 24 hours.

NUTRITION ESTIMATE
Per Half Cup (How many calories in quinoa salad? How many Weight Watchers points in quinoa salad?): 32 Calories; 1g Tot Fat; 0g Sat Fat; 0mg Cholesterol; 128mg Sodium; 4g Carb; 1g Fiber; 1g Sugar; 1g Protein; Weight Watchers 0 points (technically, a half point, your choice on how to count it)

TODAY'S VEGETABLE RECIPE INSPIRATION
Adapted from a recipe from Whole Foods

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MORE ZUCCHINI RECIPES
~ Tomato & Zucchini Salad ~
~ Zucchini Lemon Honey Salad ~
~ Zucchini Carpaccio ~
~ more zucchini recipes ~
from A Veggie Venture

MORE QUINOA RECIPES
~ Quinoa Black Bean Salad ~
my absolute go-to quinoa salad recipe
~ Acorn Squash with Quinoa & Cherries ~
~ more quinoa recipes ~
from Kitchen Parade

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