Spring Quinoa Salad with Lemon Honey Vinaigrette
Light, fresh-tasting and naturally gluten-free, this quinoa salad is a perfect Spring side dish! Packed with Spring veggies and herbs, and tossed with a tasty Lemon Honey Vinaigrette, it has great flavor and great crunch! Paired with your protein of choice, it is a perfect Spring side dish for a holiday or every day!
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients
Spring Quinoa Salad
- 2 cups cooked quinoa *
- 1 cup chopped broccoli cut into 1/4 - 1/2 inch pieces
- 1 cup chopped asparagus cut into 1/2 - 1 inch pieces
- 1 cup chopped snap peas cut into 1/2 inch pieces
- 1 cup chopped radish sliced thin and cut into 1/4 - 1/2 inch pieces
- ½ cup crumbled feta more or less to taste
- 1-2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley more or less to taste
- 1/2 - 1 tablespoon chopped chives more or less to taste
Lemon Honey Vinaigrette
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons honey
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon dijon mustard
Instructions
- Quinoa: If you haven't already cooked the quinoa, combine 2/3 cup quinoa and 2/3 cup water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil. Immediately reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and set aside. Fluff with a fork after 5 minutes. Can be made a day or two ahead.
- Blanch the Broccoli and Asparagus: Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Salt the water. Add chopped broccoli and asparagus and let boil 3-5 minutes until bright green and tender crisp. (the longer you boil them, the softer they will be) Remove from heat and pour into a collander or strainer as you would pasta, run cold water over the veggies to stop them from cooking. Set aside.
- Make the Lemon Honey Vinaigrette: Whisk together all ingredients until well combined. Can be made ahead but bring to room temperature and give a good shake or stir.
- Assemble: In a large bowl combine cooked quinoa, blanched broccoli and asparagus, chopped snap peas, radish, feta and vinaigrette. Add fresh herbs and toss one more time. Serve and enjoy!
- Making ahead/ Storage: Keeps well in the refrigerator for several days though as always, best when fresh! If making ahead and want to be super fresh, make the quinoa and prep vegetables and dressing, then assemble last minute.
Notes
*To make quinoa I follow a simple ratio of 1 cup quinoa: 1 cup water. Add quinoa and water to a medium saucepan, bring to a boil, cover with a lid, lower temperature to simmer and let simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork. This will give approximately 4 cups quinoa so you will have a bit extra for another meal.
*For exactly 2 cups quinoa, use 2/3 cup quinoa and 2/3 cup water, following directions above.
*Quinoa can be made up to several days ahead.
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Thanks for this recipe! We added roasted brussel sprouts, which added a nice touch.