Nutty Sweet Quinoa Salad

I admit I'm not a salad-eater (not even pasta salad,) but this is absolutely delicious!  I was trying to think of what to do with my sprouted quinoa this morning... after reading about how "bitter" it can be, I was a little weary of trying to eat it plain, but low and behold I tried a bite: not bitter at all!  I think it would be if I hadn't rinsed it several times (even though most commercial brands of quinoa are pre-rinsed, the saponin-coat of the quinoa seed is what makes it taste bitter, and I did notice bubbles as I rinsed it.)

NUTTY SWEET QUINOA SALAD 

3/4 c. Sprouted (black) quinoa 

1/2 zucchini, grated

corn from 1 raw cob

1/4 c. sunflower seeds

handful of parsley leaves

1/2 lemon

1 T flax seeds

sea salt, cracked pepper

1 yellow mango, added before serving (optional)

Quinoa, a seed rich in amino acid proteins, is related to spinach and swiss chard, and is one of the easiest seeds to sprout!  It can grow green sprouts in only a few days, although I definitely like to eat it before that point.  TO SPROUT QUINOA:  Soak overnight in a LOT of water.  Rinse for 3 minutes, and continue rinsing every 5-10 hours until sprouts appear.  Simple as that.  Quinoa is so easy to sprout, you can just leave it in a jar without using a sprouter lid, and make sure you rinse so it doesn't dry out.  Refrigerate until ready to use.

After the quinoa is sprouted, simply mix everything else with it in a bowl.  The mangoes, pepper, corn, parsley all work well with the nutty crunchy-textured quinoa.  I recon this would make a nice salsa, too, but I think it's just fine on its own.  

I usually look for corn that has yellow and white kernels.

Before adding mangoes

My favorite quinoa is Alter Eco black quinoa, but I'm sure any type will work.  Most people think that red quinoa is more bitter than white (which is supposedly why animals choose to feed on white) but I think that this black quinoa is the absolute best quinoa I've ever sprouted.  Happy eating!