When Olivia and I were in Ireland this September we went to this delicious little restaurant called The Happy Pear! It is owned by two twin brothers (handsome fellas) and is completely family run (we even chatted with their Mom as she cleared some tables). The food is incredible! Everything is vegetarian, locally grown, organic, whole food whipped up into divine curries, stews, soups, breads, salads, you name it! You walk in, load up your own plate (which I turned into a mountain of goodness) and enjoy! I was pretty excited when I found out that the two brothers were coming out with a cookbook. Olivia's sister bought us the book and we have made nearly every curry and salad in it since! Over the next few weeks I will be sharing a lot of them here, with my own little adaptations. To start here is one of my very favorites, and a really good post ride recovery snack! See The Happy Pear Cookbook for more!
Cashew + Goji Berry Deliciousness! (serves ~4)
Ingredients
1-1 1/2 cups Quinoa (dry)
3/4 cup Goji berries (or more/less depending on your preference. This recipe is very flexible. Goji berries can be on the pricey side, 3/4 cup from whole foods bulk section is about $5, however they are one of the best superfoods and really make this salad so yummy)
1 heaping cup of Cashews (or more if you love em)
1 1/2 cups peas or edamame beans (I've made it with both, and its delicious with both)
1 bushel of fresh mint, take of the leaves and chop finely
1 bushel of fresh flat leaf parsley, take of the leaves and chop finely
1 small bushel of chives (see my photo if you don't know how much I mean by bushel, I realize that is pretty vague ;)
Mixed lettuce (you can use as little or as much lettuce you want and it can be any kind really. It works great with arugula, or I've used the Trader Joes bag of super greens which has two kinds of kale and baby spinach in it and that is delicious too).
Dressing
- 50 ml of Olive Oil
- 40 ml of Tamari
- 1 tsp. Salt
- Ground pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook quinoa (2 parts water to 1 part quinoa, bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer until water is absorbed:)
- Chop the mint, parsley, and chives finely.
- Add the cashews, gojis, chopped herbs, and cooked quinoa to a large salad bowl.
- Wisk dressing ingredients together and pour over the salad mixture. Toss to combine.
- Add mixed lettuce when you are ready to eat, toss and enjoy!! :)
** This salad saves well in the refrigerator for multiple days. I would recommend that unless you are eating the whole thing in one sitting (for a dinner party or whatever, or after a long ride...yes I could eat the whole thing easy) only put the lettuce in the part you plan to eat that day. The salad mixture without the lettuce saves really well in the fridge for multiple days. When you want to eat some just add in a handful of lettuce and stir it in. If you are eating it all in one sitting than throw a bunch of lettuce in with it all and mix it up!
A bushel of mint, parsley and chives :)
I love the colors in this salad!
