quinoa salad with raw kohlrabi, pomegranate and pumpkin seeds

Thanks to Salena, I now eat kohlrabi! The weird name comes from the German Kohl Rübe, which, like its French translation “chou-rave” originates from the Latin caulis rapum. I love finding out that words traveled with people ! Of course I had seen kohlrabi in my usual organic food store, but had never been compelled to try it. A mistake: it tastes like sweet onion when cooked as in Salena’s recipe, and so I thought I might use it as a substitute for onion, forbidden if you have sulfite sensitivity. Because I like to live dangerously Out of curiosity, I cut out a slice while still raw and tasted it. Surprise: it is both sweet and juicy. Those of you who own a juicer, have you ever used it in you winter mixes?

After that I decided to think of a salad that would include this unusual vegetable. It seemed it would nicely compensate for the dryness of quinoa; then I thought of pomegranate for its sweet acidity, not to mention its nutritional value (High in antioxidants and vitamin C, it is a top food choice in winter) ; and finally I threw in a handful of pumpkin seeds for extra crunchiness, protein, and, let’s be honest, because I just love pumpkin seeds. (And Gents, please note that they are especially good for you ^^)

Ingredients (2 servings)

– 60 g quinoa, mine was a two-colored mix

– 10 à 15 g pumpkin seeds, organic

– 150 g kohlrabi (NOT rutabaga), preferably organic

– half of a pomegranate: a deeper red color is usually a sign of ripeness

– 1 TBSP organic canola oil (also known as colza or rapeseed oil); olive oil would be too strong for this salad

– 2 TBSP freshly pressed lemon juice (NOT from concentrate, NOT from a bottle if you want to avoid sulfites)

– sea salt, unrefined and without any additives

How to:

1. Wash and rince quinoa thoroughly. Cook in a large volume of water until germs pop out. Remove from heat, strain and rince in cold water.

2. While quinoa is cooking, toast pumpkin seeds over low heat in a frying pan. No oil is necesary. The seeds will slightly bloat.

3. Peel and coarsely grate kohlrabi. Salt to taste, add the TBSP of canola oil and the 2 TBSP of lemon juice and let sit while you tackle the pomegranate. The kohlrabi will let out some of its own juice and the different flavors will blend together.

4. Pluck out the pomegranate seeds and add to the rest of the ingredients. Toss well. This salad can wait a little longer, refridgerated, until you are ready to tuck in ! 

Enjoy!

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