Quinoa Quinoa Quinoa! Fun to say isn’t it? KEEN-WAHH!!!
I’ve had my eye on this salad for a week now. Doesn’t it look good? I saw it posted at the kitchn and immediately saved it under the MAKE SOON file in my brain.
I am sucker for all things lemony so this lemon-cumin vinaigrette was a nice treat! The fruit and the almonds kick some serious ass too!
And let’s direct our attention now to the star of this salad- the AVOCADO!
Did you think I was gonna say the quinoa? That’s still a star, but the avocado is what MAKES the dish.
It’s the *you had me at hello* part.
It’s what enticed me to try it in the first place!
It’s soo much fun when you get a crunchy almond and some sweet fruit in a bite.
You just never know what each bite will bring, and I love that.
Get started by chopping up your dried fruits…
Take them to the spa and let them soak in a nice hot water bath…
You get your quinoa ready by rinsing it off….
After you let it simmer on the stove, spread it out on a baking sheet to cool.
While it cools, start with your dressing-
Gather all your ingredients together to be assembled.
Here’s all the fun stuff! Nuts, fruits, green onions!
Pour the dressing over everything in a nice big bowl.
Add in your avocado and mix well!
You know what you have? A tasty bowl full of health!
Quinoa and Avocado Salad with Dried Fruit, Almonds & Lemon-Cumin Vinaigrette
(recipe found here Finecooking.com)
- 3 Tbs. raisins (preferably a mix of dark and golden)
- 2 Tbs. dried apricots, thinly sliced
- 1 cup red or white quinoa, rinsed well
- Kosher salt
- 1 large lemon
- 3 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 tsp. ground coriander
- 1/4 tsp. ground cumin
- 1/4 tsp. sweet paprika
- 2 medium firm-ripe avocados (6 to 7 oz. each), pitted, peeled, and cut into 1/2-inch chunks
- 2 medium scallions, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced
- 2 to 3 Tbs. coarsely chopped toasted almonds
- Freshly ground black pepper
1 . In a medium bowl, soak the raisins and apricots in hot water for 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.
2. In a 2-quart saucepan, bring 2 cups water, the quinoa, and 1/2 tsp. salt to a boil over high heat. Cover, reduce the heat to medium low, and simmer until the water is absorbed and the quinoa is translucent and tender, 10 to 15 minutes. (The outer germ rings of the grain will remain chewy and white. Some germ rings may separate from the grain and will look like white squiggles.) Immediately fluff the quinoa with a fork and turn it out onto a baking sheet to cool to room temperature.
3. Finely grate the zest from the lemon and then squeeze 1 Tbs. juice (I used the entire lemon). In a small bowl, whisk the lemon zest and juice with the olive oil, coriander, cumin, paprika, and 1/4 tsp. salt. In a large bowl, toss the vinaigrette with the quinoa, raisins, apricots, avocado, scallions, and almonds. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.
