Quinoa salad & dressing
4 Servings
Ingredients
| Quantity | Ingredient | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | cup | Quinoa |
| 2 | cups | Water |
| Salt | ||
| 6 | Dried apricots; finely diced | |
| 2 | tablespoons | Chives; minced, -=OR=- Scallions, thinly sliced |
| 4 | tablespoons | Dried currants softened in hot water and squeezed dry |
| 3 | tablespoons | Yellow or green peppers finely diced |
| 3 | tablespoons | Pine nuts |
| 1 | Lemon, grated zest only | |
| 1 | tablespoon | Lemon juice |
| 2 | teaspoons | Finely chopped cilantro =OR=- Parsley |
| ¼ | teaspoon | Paprika |
| ¼ | teaspoon | Ground cumin |
| ¼ | teaspoon | Ground coriander seeds |
| Salt | ||
| ¼ | cup | Olive oil |
Directions
SALAD DRESSING
SALAD: Rinse the quinoa thoroughly in a bowl of cold water. Then pour into a fine-mesh strainer and rinse again under running water. Bring 2 cups of water to a boil, add salt, then stir in the quinoa. Lower the heat, cover the pan and cook 15 minutes. Taste the grains--there should be just a little resistance and the opaque, spiralled ring of germ should show. If necessary, continue cooking until done, then pour into a strainer and set aside to drain over a bowl. Toast the pine nuts in a dry pan over medium heat until they are golden brown and set them aside. Make the salad dressing and toss the warm quinoa with the fruits, vegetables, pine nuts and dressing. Serve piled onto a platter.
SALAD DRESSING: Combine lemon zest, juice, spices, herbs and salt together in a bowl. Stir to combine, then whisk in the olive oil.
Taste and adjust the balance of flavors, adding lemon juice if necessary. Serves 4, generously.