June 28, 2012
(last updated June 3, 2016) 
Lemon Herb Quinoa with Hemp Seeds, Spring Peas, and Basil
Greetings, all! Glad you enjoyed my little almond hemp cookies. For those of you who asked, I used white, shelled hemp seeds (not the green ones that a reader referred to). Right now, my brands of choice are Nutiva, Manitoba Harvest, and Navitas Naturals; very soon, I’ll be doing a review of Mum’s Original, which I’m excited for.
It’s appropriate that we’re talking about hempseeds, because today’s recipe—a lemon herb quinoa salad with hempseeds, spring peas and basil–includes them. Its kind of amazing that I haven’t yet thought to marry hempseeds and quinoa. They’re two of my very favorite foods, after all, and they both carry the distinction of being complete proteins. For this reason–and because they’re delicious, versatile, and rich in many other nutrients, too–I recommend getting to know them both well. Quinoa is delicious warm or cool (I prefer cooler quinoa salads in the summer), so you can serve this recipe either way. I hope you’ll find that the peas, fresh basil, and lemon give it all a summery feel (and a lot of flavor).
I thought of this dish, by the way, at the same time I came up with my parsnip rice with peas and hemp seeds. It’s a versatile template, and you could definitely try this dish with rice, millet, amaranth, or barley. Or, try cauliflower or jicama “rice” for an all-veggie spin!
You’ll find the recipe–which is now destined to be a favorite in my home–at the Food 52 website, along with my second column! This week, I give a basic primer on veganism–what is it, how does it vary from person to person, and what motivates people to do it? What motivated me to go vegan? It’s familiar territory for many of you, but hopefully the post–and the recipe–will prompt some curiosity and be helpful for those who are just starting to explore plant-based eating!
Enjoy the scrumptious quinoa, and see you soon.
xo
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This is perfect for today. I’m on my way to a BBQ with it right now! The only thing I added was some cucumbers. Trying hard not to devour it before arriving at the party!
It took several clicks to get there, but I love the comment format and easy-to-print recipe! I always have to copy and paste recipes from your blog posts into Word Documents in order to print them correctly, and this made it super easy. Thank you!
This looks delicious! It’s very similar to one of my go-to quinoa recipes. I love peas. LOVE THEM! I never realized how much protein they had until recently. So now I love them even more. But I keep things simple—I’m cheap, the fewer spices and seasonings, the better. But one of my quinoa staples for dinner is quinoa (of course), peas, shitake mushrooms, and some soy sauce, topped with Sriracha. It’s so good! But I like the idea of lemon…and I need to throw some more seeds into my life! =)
This sounds delicious (and perfect for the scorching heat we’ve been having)! I will make soon despite my aversion to Dijon mustard.
Hemp seeds are still illegal in Canberra, so I’m currently taking great joy in being naughty. This looks like a good way to keep up my demon streak.
So easy. Since I had the ingredients o hand, I made it this morning and had some for breakfast!
Well that is a huge bowl of deliciousness right there! I am IN LOVE with Mum’s Original Delores Hemp Seeds… total addiction over here. Can’t wait for your review!
I love making salads like this with quinoa, barley, farro, or rice. Grains that retain chewiness or can be fluffed, and that don’t get gummy.
Just made this for dinner-it was delicious!! A perfect EASY summer meal-thank you!!
Yum! Peas lemon and basil, such a good combo! Except I’ll have to try this with brown rice as I’m oddly allergic to quinoa! 🙁
mmm peas, haven’t had them in awhile. hoping i can find some fresh ones this summer. about to have some quinoa for dinner! your recipe looks great.
Loooove quinoa! I used to buy it in bulk all the time at home, but I’ve yet to find a comparable bulk price here in dc 🙁
Quinoa is such a healthy delicious food and I cant believe it has only really taken off and become popular here (aus) within the past 2 years!
yum! i love the peas:)
i love lemon, basil, & quinoa, so i think i’ll definitely try this recipe! looks delish!
I love this springy vegetable combination. And peas for breakfast sound perfect–I’m there!
I love how simple yet delicious this looks – and I’ve been so eager to try hemp seeds. Where do you buy them?
Every hfs* store I’ve been to in Canada has them. If you’re buying them shelled, you might go to one of the busier stores. You can get them organic. I don’t shop online myself, but I’m sure you can buy them online.
Make sure you’re not buying powdered seeds that some people presumably buy for smoothies.
*hfs= health/natural foods store.
This makes me want to eat peas for breakfast 🙂
Pretty. I just made a quinoa salad the other day with a lemon ginger dressing.
I was just thinking how I haven’t made quinoa in a really long time. Bet this would be excellent cold with some massaged kale. Congrats on the columns! Food 52 is lucky to have such an experienced voice.
OMG you put all of my favorite foods into one bowl! Love it! Will try this combo asap! Bravo on the column! Good luck with all of your work, hope you can relax this summer! Are you doing any NY-based events in July or August? Would love to come while I am American again for a couple of months! Bisous!