Tropical Quinoa Fruit Salad

Haha, do you like my cheesy background that is supposed to give this picture a 'tropical' feel? I even stuck some leaves of my amaryllis in there... which by the way has now become a towering monstrosity. I've been getting an amaryllis every year for Christmas for the past few years- you know the ones that come in a box often at the grocery store? I just love flowering plants, so I always get excited about my new amaryllis. Well, for the most part, the amaryllis is an annual flower. Which, for all of you non-green-thumb people out there means that it blooms only once a year, and typically dies afterwards. My past amarylis' have always shrivelled and died not too long after the bloom has fallen, despite lots of love and care. However, this one has been so healthy all along; I just had to transplant it on Friday because the leaves had gotten so heavy it kept tipping over in it's small pot. Oh yes- there are 9 leaves now and almost all of them are somewhere between 2-2.5 feet long. It's taken over my dining table. We'll see how long it lasts- maybe I'll give it to Sean's step-dad so he can plant it outside, or maybe I'll keep it and see if it makes it till next winter and blooms again! Anyways, enough chatter about flowers, this is a food blog! ;)


This fruit salad is quite delicious, very healthy, and very easy to make. To top that all off, it keeps superbly in the fridge for several days. The mixture of ripe mango, pineapple and kiwi with some coconut makes it fantastic, although I think next time I won't be so lazy and I'll toast some of the coconut to bring out the flavour a little more. This dish is perfect for several occasions, such as breakfast/brunch, an on-the-go snack, or any other time during the day! I know I will definitely be making it once mangoes go on sale again.

Yields: 3 cups
Ingredients:

1/2 cup quinoa
2 1/2 cups water
4 tablespoons quick-rolled oats
1 large ripe mango
2 ripe kiwis
1 cup diced ripe pineapple + 2-3 tablespoons pineapple juice (or 1 can if you don't have fresh available, which includes the juice)
1/4 cup coconut + more for sprinkling top
vanilla yogurt to top off, or whatever you prefer (ie. honey, maple syrup, etc.)

Directions:
Place rinsed quinoa and water in medium saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce and let simmer for approximately 18-20 minutes, or until most water is gone and quinoa centers are nearly 'clear'. In the last 3 minutes, add in the oats and stir thoroughly. Cool completely.

In the meantime, dice up the mango, kiwis and pineapple, reserving the pineapple juice if using from a can.

Add the chopped fruit, fruit juice and coconut to the cooled quinoa. Stir and let the juices soak for 5-10 minutes. Serve topped with vanilla yogurt and a sprinkling of coconut. Enjoy!

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