Toasted Sunflower Seed Quinoa Salad

This is my final recipe post for YogaCityNYC and I am so honored to have had the opportunity to share my food with you all. I first started writing for this site after meeting Brette at an event at Jivamukti Yoga School. A mutual friend introduced us and we talked about our passions. I had just given birth to my son and I was a bit obsessed with pregnant yoga and Brette offered me the opportunity to write about my experience as a pregnant yogi - both as a teacher and a student. That was six years ago and since then I have written about my life, teaching yoga, and my love of the Yoga Sutras. And when the Food section started, I was asked to contribute my recipes. Today, I offer one last easy recipe. It is special to me because it is one of the very first things I ever made. It works as a salad, a side, an appetizer and a great pot luck dish. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

1/2 cup sunflower seeds 1 cup uncooked quinoa 1 big leek 2 carrots 1 stalk of celery 1 clove of garlic Salt and pepper, to taste Olive oil, to finish (optional) Fresh lemon juice, to taste (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 350. Spread the sunflower seeds on a baking tray and toast for 10 to 15 minutes, until brown and fragrant. Set aside.

2. Cook the quinoa according to the package. (You can do this ahead of time.)

3. Clean the leek well. Then, cut it in half and half again. Then finely slice it. Drop it into a pan with sides. Peel and dice the carrot. Add to the pan. Dice the celery and add to the pan. Season with salt and pepper. Water or oil sauté until the vegetables are fragrant and soft.

4. Toss the quinoa with the vegetables and add the sunflower seeds.

5. If you would like to, finish with a drizzle of olive oil and the juice of half a lemon. Taste and adjust seasonings.

6. Serve warm or chill and serve later. Enjoy!

To read more by Lisa, follow her here.

Illustration by Beth Sworobuk

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