Russian Style Quinoa Salad w/Winter Vegetables

By stancec44

A Russian style salad with earthy beets, sweet carrots, sour fermented deliciousness, soft, steamed potatoes, fresh dill, tangy dressing- what not to love on this, right? Serve with Cashew Sour Cream (recipe included)

For my version I used quinoa instead of potatoes, plus added some fresh dill, kale and toasted walnuts for extra flavor. I know, I know, this recipe is probably nothing like the original Russian version, but that’s life. You can play around with the ingredients and quantities here, use more sauerkraut or pickles if you prefer a tangier salad or add more carrots, beets or potatoes, for a more savory version. Either way, I hope you’ll try the recipe, I’m sure you’ll like it!

Ingredients

• ½ cup of quinoa
• 1 cup of diced carrot
• 1 cup of diced beetroot
• 1 cup of chopped kale
• 1 cup of chopped sauerkraut
• ⅔ cup of diced pickles
• 1 bunch of fresh dill, chopped
• ⅔ cup of toasted walnuts, chopped
• For the dressing
• 1 lemon, juice
• 1 tbsp mustard
• ½ tsp maple syrup
• ½ tsp sweet paprika powder
• salt, pepper
• Cashew Sour Cream
• 1 cup of cashews, preferably soaked
• 1 lemon, juice
• salt

Preparation

Step 1

For the sour cream add cashews, lemon juice, salt and about ½ cup of water to a blender and blend until creamy.

For the Salad:
Add quinoa, diced carrots and beets with slightly salted water to a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 10-15 minutes, or until quinoa is ready. Let cool a bit then add to a big salad bowl.

Meanwhile prepare kale, sauerkraut, pickles, dill and walnuts, then add to the bowl too.
For the dressing whisk together lemon juice, mustard, maple syrup and paprika powder, and season with salt and pepper. Pour dressing over the salad and mix well.

Serve immediately or chilled with a dollop of cashew sour cream. Enjoy!