Quinoa Salad with Oranges and Almonds
This vegan recipe is bursting with flavor!
Try serving it with chopped fresh spinach, arugula, or massaged kale, or as a non-vegan dish with grated or crumbled cheese, grilled shrimp or chicken.
Ingredients
1 cup quinoa
2 cups vegetable broth, or water
½ teaspoon salt and pepper
1 teaspoon The Olive Scene medium Ultra Premium Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 cup blood orange or mandarin orange sections
½ cup sliced and toasted almonds
1 bunch scallions, sliced diagonally
Vinaigrette:
3 tablespoons The Olive Scene Tangerine Aged Balsamic Vinegar
½ cup The Olive Scene medium Ultra Premium Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Directions
Rinse the quinoa: Pour the quinoa into a fine mesh colander and rinse under running water for 30 seconds. Drain well. This step removes bitterness.
In a large saucepan, bring the broth, salt and pepper to a boil and stir in the quinoa. Simmer 5 minutes, do not stir. Turn off the heat and cover. Allow to sit 10 minutes until the broth is absorbed. Drizzle with olive oil and fluff with a fork and cool.
Whisk together the vinaigrette ingredients until well mixed.
Toss the cooled quinoa with the vinaigrette, then add the rest of the salad ingredients and toss well.
Try this with our Chipotle, Gremolata or Dill Olive Oil or any of our balsamic vinegars for a different flavor.
Alternate way to cook the quinoa: Combine the rinsed quinoa, broth, salt and pepper in a saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, then decrease the heat to maintain a very gentle simmer. Cook until the quinoa has absorbed all of the water, about 10 to 20 minutes (small amounts of quinoa will be ready closer to 10 minutes; larger amounts between 15 to 20). Remove the pot from heat, cover, and let the quinoa steam for 5 minutes. This step gives the quinoa time to pop, so it’s nice and fluffy. Remove the lid, drizzle with olive oil and fluff the quinoa with a fork. Set aside to cool.