quinoa sizzle salad

When I think back to the 2010s, there were definite trends in my eating habits. Tortillas and quesadillas became weeknight staples. Friday nights regularly featured a Halal Snack Pack. Vegetables were snuck into desserts for my children (sweet potato brownies and chocolate beetroot cake are standouts). 

But by far it was my embracing of hearty, vegetarian salads as a meal in themselves that really changed my repertoire and remains so today. Thanks to the introduction of satisfying, nutritious grains like quinoa, amaranth, freekeh and more, salads finally got their well-deserved Main Character Energy.

In recent years I've neglected quinoa in place of legumes and other grains. But I've recently come back to quinoa, and I'm bringing you all with me!

Now for why I call it Sizzle Salad. The dressing for this salad is made by toasting whole spice seeds in a frypan until crunchy and aromatic, adding vinegar and olive oil, then pouring the whole mixture over cooked,  still warm quinoa so the dressing soaks in and imparts next-level flavour to the otherwise simple salad.

This salad is as great as a main as it is as a side, and it's suited to all seasons too!
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