I love, love, love grain salads because of how easy they are to make and how versatile they can be. I always keep quick cooking grains like quinoa, farro, and buckwheat on hand to create some kind of grain based salad at least once a week. Last weekend I went a little tropical with a combination of pineapple, red onions, and lime juice. I also added some cucumber for a refreshing and crunchy additive.
The onions get very thinly sliced and allowed to soak in the lime juice for 20 minutes. This helps remove that raw onion bite and makes them taste almost like pickled onions.
I cook the quinoa with a little salt, garlic, and ginger powder to infuse a little flavor right into the grain. I toss this with the onion and lime juice then throw in the pineapple and cucumber. I add some cilantro, too, which makes everything bright and fresh.
Bring this salad to an event or keep it in your fridge and add chicken or tuna for a quick lunch. The flavors are so good and only get better the longer they sit in your fridge. Try it this weekend and let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
Pineapple Cucumber Quinoa Salad
- Juice from 2 Limes
- 1 Tbsp Honey
- 1/4 Medium Red Onion, very thinly sliced
- 1 Cup Uncooked Quinoa
- 1 Tsp Salt
- 1 Tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 Tsp Ginger Powder
- 2 Cups Water
- 2 Cups Pineapple, diced
- 1 Cucumber, diced
- 1 Cup Cilantro, chopped
Whisk together the lime and the honey in a large bowl and add the onions. Allow the onions to marinate in the lime juice for at least 20 minutes. Meanwhile, get started on the quinoa by combining the quinoa, salt, garlic powder, and ginger powder with the water in a medium pot. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat then turn down the heat to low and allow to cook for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and fluff with a fork. Add the quinoa, pineapple, cucumber, and cilantro to the onions and toss everything to combine. Serve and enjoy!
