Disappearing Quinoa Salad
Yesterday I made a quinoa salad for a meeting, which turned out pretty well. In fact, we ate so much of it that by the time I got it home there was little left to photograph. So what you see are the sad remains, the last bits of a filling salad that is surprisingly healthy.
Quinoa is high in protein, and if you're worried about complete proteins (and there's really no reason to worry about that, says the originator of the concept, Francis Moore Lappé) all eight essential amino acids are present in quinoa. And this salad includes soybeans, called edamame, so is particularly high in complete protein. For extra yumm, I've included cherries and orange juice and toasted pecans.
But feel free to experiment. I've offered suggestions for alternatives below, and since I wrote this down for the other people at the meeting, I've also included directions for cooking quinoa and edamame.
If I make it again, I'll take another photo, this time before it disappears.
Quinoa Salad with Edamame and Cherries
1 cup quinoa, rinsed
2 cups water
salt, to taste
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 yellow pepper, chopped
1 cup edamame, cooked and shelled
1/2 cup dried cherries
1 1/2 tablespoon fresh tarragon, minced, or herb of your choice
1/3 cup pecans, chopped and toasted
Dressing:
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons orange juice
Be sure you rinse the quinoa well. (Quinoa is coated with saponins, which taste bitter unless they are rinsed off. I place it in a wire colander and run water over it for 1 minute, stirring it around.)
Boil the salted water and add the quinoa. Simmer over low heat for 15-20 minutes or until water is absorbed. Fluff with a fork to check to see that the water is absorbed.
Combine the dressing ingredients in a small bowl.
Let the quinoa cool about 30 minutes and stir in the remaining ingredients, including the dressing. Toss to combine thoroughly. Serve warm-ish or cold.
If you're not serving right away, reserve the pecans on the top and mix them in later to avoid having them get soggy.
To cook edamame: Bring a pot of water to boil, add edamame pods and boil for 5 minutes. Pour off the water and when the pods are cool enough to touch, remove the beans from the shells.
Alternatives:
Add cucumber, cherry tomatoes, blanched asparagus, green beans, cranberries instead of cherries, chickpeas (garbanzos) instead of edamame, pine nuts instead of pecans, or other herbs.
