Quinoa is a wonderful ingredient, that can be used as a substitute for rice or cous cous in most recipes. It is high in protein and has many health benefits. The best part is that it tastes good. I love it because it’s chewy and the mild flavor takes on any sauce or dressing well. In the Spring, I love colorful salads and Quinoa makes a lovely one.

Colorful Quinoa Salad

  • 1/2 cup Quinoa (I used Arrowhead Mills Organic Quinoa.)
  • 1/3 cup cooked and shelled edamame, room temperature
  • 1/3 cup dried cranberries
  • 3 tablespoons shredded carrot
  • 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Dressing

  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon orange muscat champagne vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon whole grain mustard
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • salt and pepper to taste

1. Cook quinoa according to package instructions. Set aside until cool.
2. Whisk dressing ingredients together and set aside.
3. Toss quinoa, edamame, cranberries, carrots, and cilantro together.
4. Pour dressing on top when ready to serve and fluff with two forks.

I served the Colorful Quinoa Salad with grilled skewers of shrimp, Chorizo, and Morcilla. Delicious and so easy! These ingredients work well together on a skewer because shrimp cooks very quickly and the Chorizo and Morcilla (from Despana) are already cooked so they just need to be heated.

posted by jessica at 07:49 PM Filed under American, Recipes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.