If you haven’t tried quinoa yet, or if you have and didn’t care for it give it another try. I do not care for it by itself, but love it in a salad. Quinoa (KEEN-wah) is high in protein, fiber, and minerals, but doesn’t contain any gluten. This salad has crunchy bites of vegetables, a light fresh taste from the shallots, dill and lemon, with nuts and dates to round out the dish. Enjoy!
1 C. golden quinoa
1-3/4 C. chicken or vegetable stock
8 small red radishes
1/3 seedless cucumber, unpeeled
1 large shallot
2/3 lightly filled cup dill fronds, without stems
1/2 lemon, zested and juiced, about 1-1/2 Tbsp.
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1/8 tsp. liquid smoke*
1/2 C. sliced raw almonds
1/2 C. pitted dates, roughly chopped, or raisins
1/2 C. grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
1 avocado, to serve
Heat a 2-quart saucepan over medium-high heat and add a drizzle of olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the quinoa and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Pour in the stock, bring to a boil, cover, and turn the heat down to low. Cook for 15 minutes. Turn off heat and let sit, covered, for 5 minutes. Drain.
Spread the cooked quinoa out over a cookie sheet or plate to cool.
While the quinoa is cooking, finely dice the radishes, cucumber, shallot, and dill fronds and toss with the quinoa in a large bowl.
Zest the lemon right into the bowl and fold in the zest. Juice the lemon half and whisk the juice together with the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and liquid smoke until emulsified and thick. Toss this with the quinoa.
Fold in the almonds, chopped dates or raisins, and Parmesan. Taste and season with salt and pepper. When ready to serve, top with chopped avocado.
*Note: 1 tablespoon smoked olive oil, can be substituted for the liquid smoke and 1 tablespoon regular olive oil.
Serves 4 to 6 as a side dish
