Sunday, October 19, 2008

Orange Quinoa Salad

With protein-rich quinoa, dried fruit, and almonds, this salad is a good snack before or after exercise and a nice side dish with grilled pork. Or increase the serving size to 3/4 cup and add feta cheese or shredded rotisserie chicken to make it a main dish.

Yield: 10 servings (serving size: about 1/2 cup)

Ingredients

Dressing

  • 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons low-fat buttermilk
  • 2 teaspoons honey
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Salad

  • 1 1/3 cups uncooked quinoa
  • 2 3/4 cups water
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup thinly sliced green onions
  • 1 cup sweetened dried cranberries
  • 1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
  • 3 tablespoons sliced almonds, toasted

Preparation

To prepare dressing, combine first 6 ingredients in a small bowl; stir with a whisk until well blended.

To prepare salad, place quinoa in a large nonstick skillet; cook 4 minutes over medium heat, stirring frequently. Place quinoa in a fine sieve; place sieve in a large bowl. Cover quinoa with water. Using your hands, rub grains together for 30 seconds; rinse and drain. Repeat procedure twice. Drain well.

Combine quinoa, 2 3/4 cups water, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a large saucepan; bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat; simmer 20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat, and cool to room temperature. Stir in dressing, onions, and the remaining ingredients. Cover and chill.

Nutritional Information: Calories: 170 (28% from fat); Fat: 5.2g (sat 0.6g,mono 3.1g,poly 1.1g) ; Protein: 3.5g; Carbohydrate: 28.8g; Fiber: 2.7g; Cholesterol: 0.0mg

Maureen Callahan, Cooking Light, JULY 2006

No comments: