Mandarin and Mint Quinoa Salad

We love recipes like this one- quick, tasty and nutritious. This is a great salad for lunch, a side dish for a dinner or serve with haloumi or avocado for a vegetarian meal.

Living in Katikati, we are fortunate to have access to beautiful avocados from our friends gardens and orchards. Nothing beats home grown. That is why we recommend planting a summer fruiting mandarin as well as an autumn/ winter one. This way you can make this and other mandarin dishes for 6-9 months of the year without having to buy mandarins. Oranges would also work well in this recipe.

Serves: 4
Preparation: 15 minutes
Cooking: 15 minutes

Ingredients:
3 mandarins, peeled and separated
1 cup dried quinoa
400g can chickpeas
1/3 red onion, finely chopped
1 handful mint leaves, roughly chopped
1 handful of fresh parsley, roughly chopped
2 handfuls rocket or mixed greens
¼ cup sliced almonds

Dressing:
Juice of 1 mandarin
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 garlic clove, peeled & crushed
Pinch salt & pepper

Method:
Rinse the quinoa and cook according to the package instructions.
In a small bowl whisk together the dressing ingredients and set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the quinoa, chickpeas, mandarins, red onion, mint leaves, fresh parsley and rocket. Drizzle with the dressing and sprinkle almonds over the salad. Serve at room temperature.  

Recipe shared with permission of Love NZ Citrus, 5 Plus a Day