Crunchy Quinoa Salad
When you're craving crunchy, tasty, satisfying and you know you'll feel your best if you load up on energizing greens and veggies....this salad straddles both worlds brilliantly.
Servings: 6 Servings
Calories: 339kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
Salad
- 1 cup dry quinoa
- 1 lb. brussels sprouts
- 1 lb. asparagus
- ¾ cup raw pistachios
- 1 bunch lacinato kale 2 cups chopped
- 1 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- S+P
Dressing
- 1 cup organic firm tofu*
- ½ cup water
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons dijon mustard
- 1 Tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon celery seeds
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
Instructions
- COOK THE QUINOA: Generally, I would use a ratio of 2 cups liquid to 1 cup quinoa, but in the this case, because the goal isI to have some CRUNCHY quinoa to add to the salad, I'm recommending to cook the cup of quinoa in 1 ½ cups water. Rinse the quinoa well. Drain. Bring 1 ½ cups water to boil in a small sauce pan. Stir in the quinoa and cover. Reduce the heat to simmer for 10 minutes, or until all the water is absorbed. It is OK for quinoa to be a bit al dente. Turn off the heat, fluff with a fork and leave it until ready to proceed.
- Preheat oven to 425 and set out 2 large rimmed baking sheets.
- PREPARE VEGGIES: Wash and trim Brussels sprouts and then cut iInto halves. If you have any large Brussels sprouts, cut them iInto ⅓s. Wash and trim asparagus, then cut into 1 ½" pieces.
- On one baking tray, place brussels sprouts on one end, quinoa on the other. Drizzle everything with olive oil and then sprinkle with S+P. The second baking tray, place asparagus on one end and pistachios on the other. Drizzle olive oil over asparagus and then sprinkle with S+P.
- Roast the brussels sprouts + quinoa tray for 12 minutes, until sprout leaves are crispy and quinoa iIs crunchy. Roast the second tray for 8 minutes. Pistachios will initially seem a bit chewy, but as they sit out they will turn crunchy.
- While the veggies are roasting, MAKE THE DRESSING*: Place all ingredients in a tall container. Use an immersion blender and blend until smooth. Alternately, use a food processor or blender.
- Wash and stack kale leaves, removing woody stems. Slice into thin (approximately ¼") strips. Place in a large bowl or on a platter. Sprinkle parsley on top of kale. Scoop veggies onto greens while still warm. Mix well, so the kale will slightly wilt the kale. Scatter crunchy quinoa on top of salad and then drizzle on ½ cup dressing. Toss and add more dressing if desired.
Notes
* When making the dressing, it is not necessary to "press" the water out of the tofu. Simply take it out of the liquid it was soaking in and place in the container for blending.
Salad that has not yet been dressed will stay good in the fridge for 5 days in an airtight container lined with a paper towel.
Dressing will stay good in the fridge for up to a week in a tightly sealed container in the fridge.
Nutrition
Serving: 1g | Calories: 339kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 13g | Sodium: 246mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 6g