Quinoa and Green Fava Bean Salad
Ingredients:
- 1 cup quinoa rinsed and drained
- 1 cup fresh or frozen green fava beans already shelled from the pods (see Notes)
- 4 green onion stalks thinly sliced
- ¾ cup fresh mint leaves finely chopped
- ⅓ cup cashews (roasted) roughly chopped
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 4 tbsp olive oil (1 tbsp for cooking the quinoa, 3 tbsp for the salad)
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- For cooking the fava beans: a pot of boiling water with about 1 tsp salt
Instructions:
- Cook the quinoa: Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a suitable pot. Add the quinoa, a generous pinch of salt and pepper, and sauté for about a minute, stirring. Add 2 cups of water, stir, and cover. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and cook for 10-15 minutes until all the water is absorbed. Let it cool to room temperature.
- Prepare the fava beans: If using frozen fava beans, cook them according to the package instructions. If using fresh, bring a pot of well-salted water (about 1 tsp salt) to a boil, like cooking pasta, and cook the beans for about 5 minutes. Drain, then peel off the tough outer skin of each bean one by one to reveal the tender green center inside.
- Assemble the salad: In a mixing bowl, combine the cooled quinoa, cooked fava beans, green onions, mint, lemon zest, garlic, cashews, the remaining 3 tbsp olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Mix well.
- Store: Keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Notes:
- The 1 cup of fava beans refers to beans already removed from their pods. If you're buying fresh fava beans in the pod, you'll need roughly 1 lb (450g) of pods to yield about 1 cup of shelled beans.
- Rinse the quinoa thoroughly before cooking, this is essential to remove its bitter coating.
- Let the quinoa cool to room temperature before assembling.
- Frozen fava beans work well, cook them according to the package instructions.
- Keeps well in the fridge for up to 4 days, great for meal prep.
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