Winter is that time of the year when you can try tangy Vitamin C-rich citrus-filled dishes. Being a vegan, you have got plenty of choices in terms of adding several dishes to a whole day meal plan. Especially the breakfast which is the most important meal of the day, you need to choose wise ingredients having wholesome value and delectable taste. Concerning this, one such easy-to-make low-calorie healthy snack recipe is winter special citrus breakfast salad with quinoa and toasted walnuts. Of course, the name is too big for a simple to prepare breakfast meal. But that’s where the main catch is. The longer name of the recipes implies several plant-based ingredients and optimum nutritional value.

Over here, you will get to know the easy recipe of this vegan salad, its nutritional value, and the key benefits of adding a particular ingredient.

The Process to Make Citrus Breakfast Salad with Quinoa & Toasted Walnuts

Let’s first start with the process of making this healthy salad for breakfast during chilly winter conditions. After that, we get to the point of knowing the benefit of each key ingredient of the salad.

Ingredients Required for the Salad

• 1 cup fill of cooked quinoa made out of 1/2 cup of uncooked quinoa (you can lay hands on any type of quinoa)
• 2 medium-sized oranges
• 1 red grapefruit
• 1 avocado
• 1/4 cup full of torn mint leaves
• 1/4 cup of chopped walnuts
• 1/2 packaged of plantain tostones

Step-By-Step Way to Prepare the Salad

1. Start cooking 1/2 cup of quinoa in a small pot. Add 3/4 cup of cold water to the pot and let it boil for a few minutes. After the quinoa is fully boiled, let the heat be simmed for 15-min and then turn off the heat.
2. Use a sharp knife to slice the ends of the citrus fruit and then slice down the sides to completely remove the peel.
3. Juice up the citrus fruit over a large bowl that will act like a tangy dressing for the salad.
4. Soak up the quinoa well and transfer it to another bowl and add arugula to it and toss them well.
5. Next is chop the avocado in bit-sized chunks and toss on the salad with citrus juice.
6. Mix the ingredients of the salad and serve to a separate platter for dressing.
7. Scatter the chopped walnuts, mint leaves, and crushed plantain tostones Canada onto the salad to bring tangy, salty, and little sweet flavor to it.

Nutritional Value of Quinoa, Walnuts, and Citrus Salad

Here, is the nutritional value and the total time required to prepare the salad.

• Total Time: 30 Minutes (20-min cook time and 10-min prep time)
• Calories: 250
• Total Fat: 16 grams
• Protein: 6 grams
• Carbohydrates: 21 grams
• Dietary Fiber: 3 grams
• Sodium: 410 mg
• Cholesterol: 0 mg
• Polyunsaturated Fat: 6.5 grams

Benefits of Adding Walnuts to Breakfast

Walnuts are highly nutritional nuts full of high-quality fats, vitamins, protein, and other hidden elements. This nut adds the much-needed crunch to your breakfast salad. That’s not it, walnuts offer plenty of other benefits that are as follows:

• High Source of Protein: A single medium-sized walnut provides you with 4 grams of protein. It is like 7.9% of the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for a human body. You can add two walnuts to get 8 grams of protein from the nuts themselves.
• Maintain Healthy Bone Structure: Walnuts are a rich source of Manganese that helps the body to maintain a healthy bone structure. It also includes Phosphorus to build bones. Thus, adding walnut to your breakfast not only provides a lasting fullness feeling but also strong bone build and feel the energy for a long.
• Boost Your Brain Power: It is imperative to get much energy and relaxation to have a healthy breakfast. Also, to experience sharpened brainpower to concentrate on full-day tasks, do add walnuts to the first meal. Walnuts are rich in Omega-3 Fatty Acids. It contains a high amount of DHA to stimulate the brain’s power to function fast and effectively.

Benefits of Adding Quinoa to Breakfast

The pseudo-cereal or also termed whole grain, quinoa is a high protein, gluten-free, fiber, vitamin, and mineral-rich food source. The soft and crunchy ingredient adds much-needed healthy nutrition to breakfast and appears better than potato, rice, corn, and more.

1. Consume Gluten-Free Ingredients: For those experiencing discomfort from rich and other gluten protein can switch to quinoa. It is a gluten-free whole grain for gluten intolerant individuals or those facing celiac disease. Quinoa offers a plant-based protein source to meet 8 grams of requirement from its 1 cup cooked bowl.
2. Low Glycemic Index: Add quinoa to breakfast and consume less sugar to stay on a healthy spree. It has a low glycemic index which is responsible for preventing sugar from your diet and keeping you healthy.
3. Full of Calcium: People having an intolerance to dairy products and still require the much-needed calcium from breakfast must lay hands on quinoa. It provides 30 mg of calcium.