Orange Zest Spring Quinoa Salad Recipe

Name: Orange Zest Spring Quinoa Salad Recipe
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: 1 cup uncooked quinoa (soaked overnight); 2 cups filtered water; ½ cup chopped kale (chopped fairly fine!); ¼ cup green onion (sliced thinly); 1 cup green beans (cut into 2” pieces); 1 cup chopped carrots (or shredded); 1 cup fresh parsley (roughly chopped); 2 Tbs. fresh lemon or orange juice; Zest of one orange; 1 Tbs. olive oil; Sea salt (to taste); Freshly ground black pepper (to taste)

As you know, salads are one of the best ways to stay on track when it comes to The Beauty Detox Solution lifestyle. A lot of our salads are mostly or all greens and veggies with an awesome dressing. But this salad is based in hearty and extra protein-filled quinoa, with some veggies tossed in. It’s inspired by the quinoa salad I made recently at ‘Lil Bub’s one year birthday party, which I served alongside a kale salad.

The beauty of my Orange Zest Spring Quinoa Salad Recipe is that it keeps well, so you can make it and pack it for lunch or have it for a leftover dinner the next day or two, for a real satisfying meal, topped on greens, to keep it super fresh!

Food-Combining and Orange Zest

Now wait a minute…is this proper Beauty Detox food-combining? Great question! Let’s find out…

Of all foods, fruit is the strongest cleanser for our bodies and because it dissolves toxic substances and cleanses our tissues and system, oranges are a fantastic addition to our beautifying routine. They supply us with fiber, minerals such as calcium, antioxidants and enzymes.

Bonus: all citrus fruits rid us of cellulite due to the boost of vitamin C that rebuilds and repairs skin collagen (this is what prevents cellulite from being visible).

Remember that while this fruit is truly healthy, it must be eaten once our bodies are alkaline and cleansed enough to handle it, and when we have a good amount of healthy bacteria within to break down the fruit sugar. You can learn more about this in my Beauty Detox Solution book if you want to delve in!

That being said, you will notice that we are NOT using the fruit of the orange but the purely fibrous, non-sweet orange zest in this recipe. This is okay food combining-wise, no matter what Beauty Detox Phase you are in or what your current digestive situation is :).

Beauty Spring Veggies and Alkaline pH

Nothing feels more amazing is picking up beautiful veggies and actually using them and eating them. It’s so simple, but with our busy lives, simple is refreshing, and in many ways, life-saving. Check out your local farmers market as a fun warmer weather activity.

And the way to make ourselves the healthiest and naturally beautiful is by supporting our body’s efforts to stay at its perfect, slightly alkaline pH by making the best food choices in our day-to-day life. Being conscious of which foods leave an alkaline residue and which leave an acidic residue in our body.

So what is alkaline pH? To break it down simply, the balance between alkalinity and acidity is referred to as pH (“power of hydrogen”), which reflects the concentration of hydrogen ions in any give situation.

The pH scale ranges from totally acidic (at 0.00), to totally alkaline (14.0), making 7.0 neutral. The higher the pH number of something over 7.0, the more alkaline it is (I go into this topic in greater detail in the Beauty Detox Solution book).

So basically, all foods leave either an alkaline or an acidic residue in the bloodstream, and how our body breaks down food is critical in what residue that food leaves behind. So right about now you might be questioning which foods have the most benefit and residue…

Well, very alkaline friendly foods range anywhere from ripe fruits, to sprouts, to greens. With good reason, I’ve chosen to add some beautiful green kale, crunchy green beans, mild green onions and fresh parsley to this jam-packed salad.

Not only will it help to keep us full and content—while giving us a good cleaning out—but will keep our alkaline pH levels at their optimum best!

Beauty Grain: Quinoa (KEEN-wah)

Now onto the heartier part of this dish—quinoa (pronounced, KEEN-wah). Gluten-free, high in protein, and one of the few plant foods that contain all nine essential amino acids—woohoo!

One of the most striking health benefits that quinoa provides, is its overall nutrient richness—being high in fiber, magnesium, B-vitamins, iron, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, vitamin E and various other beneficial antioxidants.

Quinoa contains greater amounts of lysine and isoleucine, which allows the protein in quinoa to serve as a complete protein source. Remember your body will mix and match and you don’t have to get complete protein in every meal, given you eat a wide variety of whole plant foods, but it’s nice to know sources that provide it for your own information.

Another amazing reason to choose good ‘ole quinoa is for its anti-inflammatory benefits. Daily intake of quinoa has shown the ability to lower levels of inflammation, and with no surprise—due to the wide range of anti-inflammatory nutrients present in quinoa.

Click here if you need a boost in supporting your digestion & nutrient absorption and avoiding inflammation!

That being said, it is very important to soak grains (even though quinoa is technically a seed we treat it as a grain) at least eight hours (preferably overnight), to help deactivate the enzyme inhibitors that coat all grains (and beans), and will make them easier to digest. This may sound like a chore but once you get in the habit, it will be a breeze. Just plan your ahead, throw some quinoa in a bowl with water the night before making this recipe, and make enough quinoa to last you a couple of days. This is a great dish to munch on for leftovers!

Add olive oil to a small bowl.

Add the fresh lemon juice.

Add orange zest and whisk ingredients together.

Toss all ingredients together, season to taste with salt and pepper and serve immediately. Enjoy!

See this full tasty recipe below…