Quinoa Salad

May 7, 2011 · 1 comment

Quinoa Salad

This bright and healthy salad makes a delicious lunch or a perfect dinner side to simply prepared fish or chicken. Quinoa is a complete protein, meaning that is contains all nine essential amino acids necessary to support the body’s needs.

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup quinoa, rinsed
2 cups water
1 orange pepper, cored, seeded and chopped
1 yellow pepper, cored, seeded and chopped
1 red pepper, cored, seeded and chopped
1 cup shredded carrot
2 scallions, thinly sliced (white and green parts)
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
1/2 cup sliced raw almonds
For the dressing:
1 teaspoon honey
1 tablespoon shallot, finely chopped
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/8 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil

In a medium saucepan with a tight-fitting lid, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the quinoa and stir until evenly coated with oil and slightly toasted, about 2 minutes. Add the water, bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat. Cook for 15 minutes without disturbing, or until all water is absorbed. Set aside, still covered, for a few minutes.
While the quinoa cooks, make the dressing. Whisk honey, shallot, curry, cumin, salt, lemon zest and lemon juice in a bowl. Slowly add the olive oil and whisk until emulsified.
In a large bowl, combine orange, yellow and red peppers, carrot, scallion, raisins, apricots, almonds and quinoa. Stir until blended. Add half the dressing, toss gently, then add the other half. Serve at room temperature.
Quick Tips
1. This salad can easily be made vegan by substituting brown sugar for the honey.
2. I meant to include a green pepper, but I picked up an orange one instead. The key is to get a variety of colored peppers to make the dish look pretty. There will be a subtle difference in taste if using green pepper, but red, orange and yellow peppers tend to have similar flavoring.

Preparation time: 25 minute(s)

Cooking time: 15 minute(s)

Number of servings (yield): 4

Print

PDF

{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }

Camille Warmington June 8, 2012 at 12:40 am: Amazing!

Reply