Lunch in the sun - Ponzu dressed beets with quinoa

Is it spring yet? Almost! I'm quite thankful that here in Australia they like to count three months per season regardless of the weather. For me it's felt like spring for a good couple of weeks already - the sun is out, it's much greener everywhere and the flowers are starting to bloom. This is the best time of the year! 

To celebrate the beautiful day I took my lunch outside on the balcony and sat there munching on this tasty new favourite of mine whilst admiring my aspiring veggie garden. You've got to try this, and ponzu dressing is a must as it gives just the right kind of a tang to the sweet beets. I savoured this with some left-over crisp bread I made the other day, but you could use any bread you have, or leave it out completely.

Ponzu dressed beets with quinoa

(serves 2-4)

1 cup quinoa, cooked until tender

1 small fennel bulb, thinly sliced

5cm piece of leek, thinly sliced

bunch of beets (4 small ones), cooked until tender

1 tablespoon ponzu dressing*

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

drizzling of lemon juice
small handful of red crimson raisins

* I used ponzu shoyu, which combines yuzu and soy sauce. 

1. Combine the quinoa, fennel and leek in a large mixing bowl.

2. In a separate bowl, dress the cooked and sliced beets with extra-virgin olive oil and ponzu. Add the mixture in to the quinoa and add in the red raisins. Drizzle the salad with lemon juice and mix everything together. Serve room temperature or warm.