Quinoa Fiesta Salad from slknight

[hrk]

DH and I have been experimenting with different quinoa recipes since we found out how good quinoa is for you. I ran a search and came across slknight's quinoa fiesta salad, tried it this weekend and it was fast and delicious. The only change I made was substituting the cranberry vinegar (couldn't find it) for sherry vinegar.
Thanks slknight, this recipe is definitely a repeater.

Heather

[slknight]

Wow. I saw my name in the title of the post. How exciting!:o

I'm glad you enjoyed it. I really liked it when I first had it and it was my first exposure to quinoa. I'm embarassed to admit I haven't made the recipe in a couple of years, but I do have some quinoa in the cabinet. I think it's time to dust it off.

-Susan

[lisas3575]

I did a search for this, salads are just so good when it's hot!

"Quinoa Fiesta Salad," is adapted from the Bread and Circus Whole Food Bible and was distributed at a Williams-Sonoma where they were giving out samples. I am not normally an adventurous eater, and at the time had never even heard of quinoa, but I thought it was delicious.

Quinoa Fiesta Salad

1 cup water
1 cup quinoa
pinch of salt

Rinse quinoa several times in cold water. Bring water, quinoa and salt to boil in a 2- to 3-quart saucepan. Cover, reduce to a simmer and cook for about 20 minutes until all the water is absorbed. Let stand 5 minutes and fluff with a fork. Place in a large mixing bowl to cool.

1 red pepper, cored,seeded and cut into small dice
6 scallions, minced
1/2 cup cooked corn
1/4 cup cilantro, minced
1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted

Add to quinoa.

Dressing
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. honey
1 tbl. lemon juice
1-2 tbl. cranberry vinegar

In a small skillet, saute garlic in olive oil for 2 minutes. Add cumin and cook 1 minute longer. Add honey, stir to melt, remove from heat and allow to cool. Add lemon juice and vinegar. Mix well and pour over quinoa and vegetables. Mix gently but thoroughly. Serve at room temperature.
Makes 4-6 side dish servings

[jjsooner73]

I made this tonight with a few modifications (based on what I had on hand and what I was in the mood for). It was my first time trying quinoa, same for my DBF.

We both really liked it (I think he got 3rds, but that could be because his first serving was so small).

I kept the dressing the basically same (but decreased the oil and used red wine vinegar).

I sauteed some sweet onion in a bit of olive oil, added about 1/2 cup of cremini mushrooms and some corn, sauteed for about 2 minutes. I added the red bell pepper and cooked another minute. I mixed this with the quinoa, and then added a handful of cherry tomatoes cut in half.

I can't wait to try more quinoa recipes now, and I'm sure I'll be doing a variation of this one again as well.

[swquilts]

Can I sub Israeli couscous? I bought some for a different recipe and have quite a bit left. This salad caught my eye and I don't have any quinoa.

[slknight]

Originally posted by swquilts
Can I sub Israeli couscous? I bought some for a different recipe and have quite a bit left. This salad caught my eye and I don't have any quinoa.

Definitely. I have made it with couscous before.