Quinoa and Broccoli Spoon Salad
Click for larger view
Many people tell us that they don’t like quinoa. I often believe that they have not had well prepared quinoa. Hopefully we can change a few minds with this dish. Personally, I don’t ever make quinoa with water. I like to use a no sodium added organic vegetable broth. Even better, make some Magic Mineral Broth and use that. Quinoa is a great grain (actually, it is a seed) to add to other foods. It adds a nice texture to many dishes and is full of protein, fiber and folate to name a few. I will mix it with rice to add some nutritional value that it does not have on its own. In this dish it adds a nice texture and soaks up the vinaigrette nicely to give this dish great flavor. This salad is also great for outdoor parties as it not mayonnaise based. We have made this dish at one of our cooking classes and it was a hit!
MAKES: 8 Servings
PREP/COOK TIME: 40 minutes
INGREDIENTS
Kosher salt
1 cup quinoa, rinsed
3 cups organic no sodium vegetable broth or Magic Mineral Broth
1 lemon
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
Freshly ground black pepper
1 large bunch broccoli (about 1½ pounds) See Note.
1 medium tart and crisp apple (like a Granny Smith)
4 ounces sharp Cheddar
¾ cup toasted pecans, roughly chopped
½ cup dried cranberries
DIRECTIONS
Finely grate the zest of the lemon into a large bowl then cut the lemon in half. Add the olive oil, mustard, honey and apple cider vinegar, plus the juice of ½ lemon; whisk together. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Peel the stem of the broccoli and trim off the dry end. Finely chop the entire broccoli and add to the dressing. Core the apple then finely chop the apple and the cheese; add to the broccoli and toss to combine. Let sit while you prepare the quinoa. This allows time for the brocoli to “cook” in the lemon juice.
Bring a medium pot of 3 cups Magic Mineral Broth to a boil on high and season aggressively with salt. Add the quinoa, then reduce the heat to maintain a simmer; cook until plump and tender, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a fine-mesh sieve; rinse with cool water and drain well.
Add the cooked quinoa, nuts and cranberries to the broccoli mixture and toss to combine. Taste and add more salt, pepper and lemon juice, as needed. Store, refrigerated, for up to 3 days.
Note: To save yourself some chopping time, you can often find pre-chopped broccoli at the market.
