Parsley Quinoa Salad with Mango

This Parsley Quinoa Salad with Mango is a fun way to make a healthy salad taste delicious! It’s vibrant, light, fresh and really easy to make!

Whether you are looking for a good quinoa recipe that isn’t bland, you want to make a dish to use up all of the parsley you have, or you just need a new healthy salad recipe, this salad is for you! It’s a twist on the Middle Eastern tabbouleh salad, one of my Mom’s favourite side dishes.

Ingredients needed

After going a bit overboard with making way too many quinoa salad recipes in university, I’ve needed to take a bit (8+ years) of a hiatus. Thankfully, this Parsley Quinoa Salad is unique enough that it doesn’t remind me of the classic versions I got sick of. Here is what you need to make it:

• Fresh parsley
  • Make sure to rinse and pat dry before finely chopping the parsley.
• Cooked quinoa
  • You can use any colour of quinoa you have or prefer. If you prefer to use orzo, bulgar wheat, couscous or another type of grain, you can do so. However, keep in mind that if you choose to use another grain, this salad would NOT be gluten free.
  • I have shared how to cook quinoa below.
• Fresh mango
  • I peeled, chopped and used one ataulfo mango in this recipe and it was the perfect amount!
  • I have shared my go-to ways on how to cut mango below.
• Fresh mint
  • Make sure this mint is finely chopped.
• Cucumber
  • Remember to rinse and chop the cucumber. If you have a hard time digesting the skin, you can always peel it too.
• Macadamia nuts
  • If you prefer a different type of nut or seed, you can use that. For example, sliced almonds or chopped walnuts would be good. You could also add pumpkin or sunflower seeds for extra crunch.
• Olive oil, lime juice, salt and pepper
  • If you don’t have extra virgin olive oil, you can also use avocado oil or any other mild oil.
  • The lime juice pairs really well with the mango and herbs but if you only have lemons or fresh lemon juice, you can use this instead.

If you want to make this salad more similar to the Middle Eastern or Mediterranean approach, you could use cherry tomatoes instead of mango and add a sprinkle of feta cheese on top.

How do you cook quinoa?

This salad is my new favourite way to eat quinoa! But first, we have to make sure the quinoa is cooked well. You can use any  instructions on the quinoa packaging or follow along here.

Quinoa normally triples in quantity after cooking it so for this recipe you will need roughly 3/4 cup of uncooked quinoa. If you want to make a big batch and use extra quinoa in other dishes, you can double or triple this recommendation.

To a medium saucepan, add the uncooked quinoa (about 3/4 cup) and 1 1/2 cups of water. Put the lid on and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and continue to cook, with the lid on, for about 15 minutes or until the quinoa has absorbed the water and is fluffy.

If you want to make the quinoa extra flavourful, you can always cook it in vegetable or chicken stock instead of water. Follow the same cooking and time suggestions.

How to cut a mango

I have been trying to master cutting a mango for the last few years and I finally feel pretty confident in it. It’s a balance between getting enough of the fresh mango off the pit and the skin at the same time. A 3 different methods that have worked for me:

1. Standing the mango upright, line your knife up to one side of where you expect the pit to be. Cut down the length of the mango on either side of the pit. Take a large, sturdy cup and place the edge of the cup right where the meat of the mango meets the skin and push it through the length of the mango. Because the cup is curved, it should scoop out most of the flesh of the mango into the cup and leave behind the skin. You can then cut the large piece of mango into smaller chunks for this salad.
2. Alternatively, you can repeat the cutting process, down the length of the mango on either side of the pit. Then take your knife and score the flesh of the mango but don’t cut through the skin! You can then flip the mango inside out and reveal little squares of fresh mango ready to be sliced from the skin.
3. Finally, I have used this method with ataulfo mangoes: Take a vegetable peeler and peel the skin off of the mango. Then cut down the length of the mango on either side of the pit. Finish by chopping the large pieces of fresh mango into smaller chunks for this salad.

Making the Parsley Quinoa Salad

Putting this salad together is extremely easy! All you have to do is:

1. In a large bowl, toss together the parsley, quinoa, mango, mint, and cucumber and stir well.
2. Drizzle on the olive oil and lime juice and season with salt and pepper.
3. Right before serving, add the chopped macadamia nuts so they stay fresh and crunchy.

If you are prepping this salad ahead of time, you can mix all of the ingredients together except for the olive oil and lime juice. Wait until right before serving the salad to add these ingredients. Although the lime juice can keep the mango fresh and vibrant while it’s stored in the fridge, it may also make the parsley and mint a bit soggy.

Dietary preferences

Salads are a great dish to bring to a variety of get togethers in the summer. However, with lots of gatherings come many considerations for dietary restrictions. I want to make sure you’re able to share this dish with as many people as possible so this recipe is:

1. gluten free
2. dairy free
3. vegetarian
4. vegan
5. It can also be nut free is you leave out the macadamia nuts. If you’re looking for a crunchy element, you could use pumpkin seeds instead!

 

How long will the Parsley Quinoa Salad keep in the fridge?

When I first made this salad, my boyfriend was away for the week so I was able to enjoy it all to myself. I ate it for 3 or 4 nights in a row and loved it! It kept really well in the fridge, as long as it was in an airtight container.

The lime juice can help preserve the freshness and colour of the parsley and mango. However, if you prefer, you can wait to add the olive oil and lime juice until you are ready to serve it.

Before serving this salad, leave it at room temperature for about 10 minutes so the flavours are prominent.

If storing it in an airtight container in the fridge, it should last for about 3-4 days.

I hope this Parsley Quinoa Salad is a nice addition to your salad rotation but don’t forget to check out some of these other salad recipes to add to your repertoire:

• Beetroot Salad with Walnuts and Feta
• Shrimp Orzo Salad with Honey Lemon Dressing
• Herbed Bean and Rice Salad
• Blueberry Lentil Salad with Halloumi

 

If you make this Parsley Quinoa Salad I would love to see your comment and rating below. It also makes my day seeing your creations of my recipes on Instagram- don’t forget to tag @allnutrition.rd!