skip to main |
skip to sidebar
Quinoa salad with herbs, tahini and fresh veggies
1 cup quinoa cooked
4 Thai eggplants, diced
1 bell pepper, diced
1 tomato, diced
3 carrots, shredded
1 beet, shredded
1/3 cup tart dried cherries
3 T roasted sesame tahini
juice of 1 lemon
1 clove garlic
1/2 cup mint, chopped
1/2 cup parsely, chopped
unbleached salt + pepper + olive oil
Rinse the quinoa and then toast lightly in 1 T olive oil. Add 1.5 cups of water and cook until done, but not mushy. Set aside.
Generously salt the eggplant after dicing and set aside while you chop the other veggies. Try to get a consistent size on everything. Drain, rinse and dry the eggplant after about 10 minutes.
Heat about 2 T olive oil in a large skillet. Add the eggplant and let cook for 2 minutes before adding the bell pepper, tomato and cherries. Cook together for about 5 minutes. Everything should stay pretty al dente, but you want the flavors to marry.
In a small food processor make an emulsion with the tahini and lemon (it will turn into a mayonnaise-y consistency) and then add the minced garlic.
When the veggies are done dump them in a big bowl with the cooked quinoa, shredded beets and carrots, and tahini dressing. Stir to combine and add salt and pepper to taste. When the salad has cooled stir in the green herbs and serve.
I had a few things lingering at the bottom of my produce drawer from last week's box from Irv and Shelly's that were begging to be roasted and tossed together with some quinoa and harissa for a quick healthy dinner. I let the roast veggies and the quinoa cool before throwing it all together to make it feel lighter and more summery, but I think it would also be excellent hot.
1 cup quinoa, cooked according to package directions
5-6 small beets, sliced
1 1/2 c. cubed butternut squash (I had some already cut up and frozen leftover from a recipe a few months back)
1 small spring onion, sliced
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
a healthy pinch each of cumin, coriander, aleppo pepper
a few grinds of salt and pepper
1 teaspoon chile pepper flakes
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 c. roughly chopped swiss chard
1 c. roughly chopped beet greens
2 tablespoons harissa
In a medium bowl, toss the beets, squash, onion, some of the olive oil, cumin, coriander, aleppo, and salt and pepper. Spread out on a cookie sheet and roast in a 350F oven for about 35 minutes, moving them around with a spatula about halfway through. While the veggies are roasting, cook the quinoa according to package directions. When finished, rinse with cold water and set aside. Next, saute garlic, chile pepper flakes, and greens in the rest of the olive oil until greens are just beginning to wilt, put aside. When the beets and squash are finished, remove from oven and let cool. Toss greens, quinoa and roasted veggies together, with harissa and a bit more olive oil as needed. Enjoy!
