Last Friday’s post was a hit!  A big thank you to Callie Baxter of The Organic Giraffe for the delicious recipes.  I’ve been testing them all week and they are so good, I keep forgetting I’m on a cleanse.  It’s pretty unbelievable.  Today, I am posting one more of Callie’s recipes, Citrus Quinoa Cups.  They make a pretty side dish or even a satisfying afternoon snack.  Enjoy!

Citrus Quinoa Cups

Ingredients:

• 1 cups quinoa (rinsed and drained)
• 1 cups fresh squeezed orange juice
• 1 cups water
• 1 small red bell pepper (seeded & diced)
• 1 small yellow bell pepper (seeded & diced)
• 1 small orange bell pepper (seeded & diced)
• 1/2 cup pine nuts
• 1 medium cucumber (peeled, halved, seeded & diced)
• 1/8 cup basil (finely chopped)
• 1/8 cup mint (finely chopped)
• sea salt (tt)
• cracked black pepper (tt)

1. Thoroughly rinse and drain quinoa. Put quinoa, water, fresh orange juice, & a generous pinch of salt in a pot and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer until the liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes.
2. While quinoa is cooking, place diced peppers in a medium skillet over high heat, stirring frequently, approximately 2 minutes. (I dry pan roasted the peppers, tossing frequently to lightly char on the sides, feel free to sauté with oil of choice or roast and peel the peppers if you feel so inclined!) Set peppers aside to cool.
3. In the same skillet, toast the pine nuts over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until golden and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Set pine nuts aside to cool.
4. Once all ingredients have cooled, gently toss the quinoa, peppers, pine nuts, cucumber, basil and mint in a large bowl. Season to taste with salt & pepper.

Note: This is my favorite quinoa salad recipe to date, and I have tried countless preparations. I like to chill this salad for at least 1 hour before serving, but it is delicious at any temperature! For presentation points, serve the salad in the reserved orange halves from juicing or on top of an avocado for a more filling snack. (Or feel free to eat it right out of the bowl!)

You’ve done it again, Callie.  Thank you!

Happy Friday, Bare Beauties!

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