Tuna Quinoa Salad

Heya,

Whilst I love baking, I have more recently found a love for cooking and meal prepping easy, healthy and delish lunches. I always opt for something filling for lunch with lots of volume to get me through the long tiresome school-day however would rather not have the same boring salad everyday so to "add a little bit of spice" I came up with this quinoa salad recipe. When talking to friends I have found the quinoa is like marmite: you either love it or hate it (or have never heard of it!) but I love it. Its the perfect addition to any salad or stir fry and is incredibly nutrient dense. In this recipe I have opted for tuna as I'm usually rushed for time and its quicker nevertheless chicken, turkey or any other protein will also work well. This recipe is fairly changeable so adding and removing ingredients would definitely work providing everything is chopped up nice and small - I just use all my favourite vegetables and bits. Although it wouldn't seem it, an important part to this extraordinary salad is the dressing and seasoning. Quinoa, like most grains tastes relatively bland in my opinion therefore I like to make sure I have a flavourful dressing and seasoning just to perfect the dish. If you are tight for time over the week this tasty salad can also be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days and still taste perfect. I hope this recipe brings you as much joy as it does for me!

Here is my recipe for Tuna Quinoa Salad:

Ingredients: (serves 1)

• 25g Uncooked Quinoa
• 1 can Tuna
• 75g Cucumber
• 75g Carrot
• 8 Cherry Tomatoes
• 50g Sweetcorn
• 30g Cheese, cubed (I used Cheddar but Feta also works)
• 1tbs Balsamic Vinagrette*
• 1tsp Green Goddess Seasoning (optional but recommended)

* I used store bought but homemade will taste just as good ( https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/218337/our-favorite-balsamic-vinaigrette/)

Method:

1. Cooke the quinoa according to the packet instructions
2. Finely chop the cucumber, carrot and tomato into cubes and put in a bowl
3. Add the corn and cubed cheese and shake the bowl to mix (you can stir it but it isn't as fun!)
4. Mix in the quinoa, tuna and dressing
5. place in your favourite bowl and season as you wish
6. Enjoy!!