Quinoa Salad with Broccoli and Vegetables
A dear friend of mine asked for a quinoa recipe the other day, she was entertaining a group of ten for dinner. She likes quinoa for it’s easy to digest, protein packed, nutty flavor, and being a Flexible Vegetarian, she prefers to serve what she loves.
I had a fridge full of vegetables on hand, and always quinoa in my cupboard, so I offered to bring something to save her the trouble.
Here’s the simple salad I came up with; I wanted to share it with you too.
Ingredients
2 cups quinoa cooked (I used a mixture of light and dark quinoa)
1 red pepper
4 scallions
1 head broccoli
1/2 pint cherry tomatoes
3/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
Sea salt
Cayenne or black pepper
Optional: raw almond pieces, pine nuts, or raw cashew pieces, about a half cup
Preparation
1. Prepare quinoa according to package directions to get 2 cups. Let cool to room temperature, or put in the fridge.
2. Chop broccoli into small florets and steam to slightly tender. Do not overcook. Let cool to room temperature.
3. Chop red pepper into bit size pieces.
4. Chop scallions into small slivers, using all white and an inch or so of green.
5. Slice cherry tomatoes in half.
6. Mix dressing; combine vinegar and extra virgin olive oil with Dijon mustard. Shake (this will make extra, store in the fridge)
7. Using a large mixing bowl, (I did this directly in my salad serving bowl) add quinoa and vegetables. Add nuts if you prefer. Toss with dressing. Allow to sit in the fridge to blend flavors. Season with sea salt and pepper to taste.
