Quinoa salad…the new tabbouleh
Grain salads are so versatile and accommodating. I absolutely adore tabbouleh…but it must be made with tomatoes so fresh they scream when you slice them…and it’s just not tomato season yet. So instead I fashioned a new tabbouleh using quinoa, mint, zucchini, green onions, dried cranberries, and pistachios. I tossed it all with an over-the-top, orange-ginger vinaigrette and let it sit for a few hours in the refrigerator before I served it up. I’ve made salads similar to this before but every time I make a new one I’m impressed by the way the flavors, textures, and lightness just shine right through.
I also have to sing the praises of quinoa’s nutrition…check out the fiber, protein, and iron in a one cup serving… it’s a powerhouse and I think that makes it a good option for a workday brown-bag. Give it a try and let me know what you think.
Orange Ginger Quinoa Salad
1 cup quinoa, well rinsed and drained
2 cups water
salt
1 medium zucchini, julienned
6 scallions, sliced
A large handful of mint leaves, chiffonaded
3 handfuls of dried cranberries
2 handfuls of pistachios
2 oranges, zest and juice
generous dash of cardamom
1 teaspoon ginger juice
1 tablespoon lime juice
olive oil
salt
pepper
Put the water into a pan and bring it to a boil, add the quinoa, reduce to a simmer and cook, covered, until the water is absorbed and the spiral germ is apparent. Remove from heat and put into a large bowl and toss to cool.
Once the quinoa is cool add the mint, cranberries, pistachios, zucchini, and scallions. Whisk together the orange juice, zest, cardamom, ginger juice, lime juice, olive oil to form the vinaigrette. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed. Toss the salad with the vinaigrette, chill and serve.
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12 Responses to “Quinoa salad…the new tabbouleh”
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these are my favorite…. grains salads that is. so simple, nutritious, and tasty! also, i really dig you new masthead and overall new design!
Thanks Amanda…the design has finally found its home…it took me a long time…stick a fork in me…I’m done designing! Of course it’s your fault that everytime I make quinoa I refer to them as “the little condoms”!
I love quinoa! I can only get it mixed with bulgar here… but I’m amazed I found it at all so I’m just grateful.
“the little condoms”? Yah, that’ll stick in the brain….
I keep trying quinoa, but I don’t think I really like it. It’s a bit too soft for my liking, but maybe I just overcook it? I like my grains a little more hardy, like wheat berries :)
I haven’t cooked quinoa before but I found some in Whole Foods so I bought it. Hopefully I’ll eat some of it in the next week or so. I heard somewhere that you have to soak it. Did you do that, or just rinse it very well?
Oh yea I’ve cooked quinoa a few times before, and I can just imagine using it in place of cous-cous or bulgar wheat. And like such ingredients (polenta included), you can add practically any flavour you desire and create something interesting.
Quinoa dates back to the time of the Incas, to whom it was known as “the mother of all grains”. And with nutritional value like that, no wonder quinoa has been the staple rice of the Andes for some six thousand years. Here’s something I bet you didn’t know about Quinoa… It’s even being considered as a possible crop in NASA’s Controlled Ecological Life Support System for long-duration manned spaceflights! Now that’s gotta be special.
Jef - You only need to cook quinoa until you can see that the germ has distinctly seperated, a little like tapioca in fact.
jef, wheatberries are tasty…you’re so right.
Ros, just rinse it, cook it and eat it.
Trig, I’m always amazed by foods like this…I want to try to incorporate it into a granola bar…do you think I could cook it and then toast it?
I’m all about quinoa lately too, most in salads, but I’m wondering about how it would work in a baked good…
[...] I tend to flip-flop on whether I like it or not. Something tells me if it always looked like this orange ginger salad, I’d probably stay on the flip side… or is that flop side? - What Geeks [...]
I made tabbouleh a few weeks ago and just replaced the bulghur with quinoa. Loved it!
Thank you so much for posting this. It will help a lot in the quest for high fiber/high protein foods to make for my mom as she recovers from surgery.
I’ve been wanting to try quinoa for a while and this recipe inspired me. Both the quinoa and the salad are yummy. Thanks!