Quinoa with Arugula & Orange Dressing
This simple, gluten free and plant-based salad is savory & wholesome but has a real brightness about it because of the Orange Dressing & orange zest. Recipe adapted from Food and Wine.
Servings: 4 -6 servings
Ingredients
Salad
- 3 cups cooked & cooled quinoa I used 2 cups cooked red quinoa: 1 cup cooked traditional quinoa -- any combination will work!
- 1/2 cup dried apricots cut into pieces (I did thirds or quarters depending on size)
- 1/2 cup roasted salted pistachios
- 4 scallions white and green part, thinly sliced
- 2 cups baby arugula leaves
- 1 medium onion thinly sliced
- 1 tablepoon olive oil for sauteing onions
- salt and pepper to taste for onions
Orange Dressing
- 1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
- 1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated orange zest + extra for topping
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
Cook quinoa if not already done so
- In a medium saucepan, place 1 cup quinoa and 2 cups water*. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn heat to simmer, cover and let simmer for 15 minutes or until water is absorbed. Once water is absorbed, turn off heat and let cool briefly. Fluff with fork before using. *Note: 1 cup uncooked quinoa will yield about 4 cups cooked quinoa. We just keep the extra quinoa in the refrigerator and use separately. For exactly 3 cups quinoa, cook 3/4 cup quinoa with 1 1/2 cups water.
- Set aside to cool.
Saute the onions
- In a medium skillet, heat olive oil until shimmering, not burning. Add the sliced onions, sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 15-20 minutes minutes.
- Set aside to cool.
Orange Dressing
- Place ingredients in a liquid measuring cup or small bowl and whisk together until well combined.
Assemble
- In a large bowl add the quinoa, cooked onions, apricots, pistachios, arugula** and scallions. Drizzle with most the dressing (I always like to reserve some and taste it first so see if I want to add it all) and toss well. Taste and add more dressing as desired. Top with extra orange zest as desired. Serve and enjoy!
- **If planning to use as a meal prep option, consider leaving the arugula separate and adding in when serving to ultimate freshness.
Stores well for several days.
Great as is or paired with a protein of choice.
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