Red Quinoa Salad with Honey Walnut Balsamic Vinaigrette
- Minutes to Prepare:
- Minutes to Cook:
- Number of Servings: 8
Ingredients
Ingredients• Arugula – 4-6 cups• 1 cup of dried mission figs, diced - soak in 1 T of good balsamic vinegar & a drizzle of honey while prepping the rest of the salad ingredients• 1.5-2 cups of walnut pieces, toasted • 1 bunch of fresh asparagus, tough ends trimmed• 3 large red beets, tops trimmed off, peeled and sliced into 1/4" slices• 2 cups of red quinoa, uncooked• 4 cups of chicken broth• 2-3 T olive oil• ½ tsp sea salt • ½ tsp fresh ground black pepper• Honey Walnut Balsamic Vinaigrette (recipe follows)Honey Walnut Balsamic Vinaigrette1/4 cup good quality balsamic vinegar1/4 tsp sea salt1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper1/4 cup honey1/4 cup walnut oilCombine vinegar, honey, salt & pepper in bowl...slowly drizzle in walnut oil while whisking continuously to emulsify into the other ingredients
If you have a rice cooker, cook the quinoa just like you would rice: 1 part quinoa to 2 parts liquid. If you do not have rice cooker, place quinoa and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook until all the water is absorbed (about 15 minutes). You will know that the quinoa is done when the spiral-like germ has separated.
While the quinoa is cooking, toss the beet slices and asparagus in a few tablespoons of good olive oil, sprinkle 1/2 tsp sea salt and 1/2 tsp of fresh ground black pepper and toss lightly. Grill over medium heat until the beet slices are fork-tender and the asparagus are bright green and tender-crisp. Once cool enough to handle, chop the beets into a dice and the asparagus into 1/4" sections. At this time, combine the balsamic-marinated figs, the beets and the asparagus. Once the quinoa has finished cooking, fluff with a fork and combine with the figs, beets and asparagus.
For serving, divide arugula amongst the plates - approximately 1 cup of greens per plate. Top with 1 cup of quinoa mix and dress with 1-2 T of the honey walnut balsamic vinaigrette.
Number of Servings: 8
Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user RACERXGIRL.
While the quinoa is cooking, toss the beet slices and asparagus in a few tablespoons of good olive oil, sprinkle 1/2 tsp sea salt and 1/2 tsp of fresh ground black pepper and toss lightly. Grill over medium heat until the beet slices are fork-tender and the asparagus are bright green and tender-crisp. Once cool enough to handle, chop the beets into a dice and the asparagus into 1/4" sections. At this time, combine the balsamic-marinated figs, the beets and the asparagus. Once the quinoa has finished cooking, fluff with a fork and combine with the figs, beets and asparagus.
For serving, divide arugula amongst the plates - approximately 1 cup of greens per plate. Top with 1 cup of quinoa mix and dress with 1-2 T of the honey walnut balsamic vinaigrette.
Number of Servings: 8
Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user RACERXGIRL.
Nutritional Info Amount Per Serving
- Calories: 572.2
- Total Fat: 33.9 g
- Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
- Sodium: 382.7 mg
- Total Carbs: 59.2 g
- Dietary Fiber: 10.1 g
- Protein: 14.4 g
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