Sunday, October 27, 2024

Salad Topper (Vegan and Gluten-Free)


Recipe from Feasting at Home 
Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen
Makes 1½ cups

This is an easy-to-make, delicious way to add a nice crunch to your favorite salads, soups or bowls.  It’s made with toasted quinoa and seeds.  You can keep this simple or add your favorite seasonings.  (This is a great way to use up leftover quinoa.)

For the Crispy Quinoa
1 cup cooked quinoa 
2 Tablespoons olive oil
½ teaspoon salt

For the Seeds
½ cup sunflower seeds
½ cup pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
¼ cup hemp seeds
¼ cup sesame seeds
1 Tablespoon tamari or Braggs Aminos

Toss the cooked quinoa (thoroughly cooled) with olive oil and salt.  Spread onto two sheet pans in a thin layer.  (See notes) Bake at 350F for about 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. Allow to cool completely.
In a bowl, mix together the sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, hemp seeds, sesame seeds with 1 Tablespoon tamari or Braggs Aminos.  Spread onto a sheet pan and bake for 10 minutes.  After the seeds are completely cool, mix with the crispy quinoa and store in an airtight container for up to a month.

Notes:
If making fresh quinoa for this recipe, it is important to let it cool completely, otherwise it will not crisp easily.
Spreading the quinoa on two pans in single layers will help it dry out. When it is clumped on the pan it will just steam and not crisp up.
Quinoa- cooked and cooled, can make a day or two before baking. Use white, red or black quinoa. A mixture is nice for color.
Seeds- sunflower, hulled hemp, pumpkin, sesame – adjust to what you have on hand.
You can use a little salt instead of the tamari/Braggs to keep things neutral.

Ways to Enhance the Salad Topper:
Toast chopped nuts with the seeds.
Add lemon zest, coriander, Aleppo pepper, smoked paprika.
Add mushroom powder.
Add fennel seeds, sumac or za’atar.
For a sweet twist add a little coconut sugar, cinnamon, or 5-spice powder and orange zest.

Nutritional Information: (2 Tablespoon serving) 158 calories; 0.1g sugars; 182.3mg sodium; 10.8g fat; 1.5g saturated fat; 11.7g carbohydrates; 2.3g fiber; 5.5g protein; 0mg cholesterol




No comments: