Friday, April 1, 2011

FFWD - Quinoa, Fruit and Nut Salad


Quinoa. Kween-wah. This odd little seed is not only fun to say, but easy to prepare and delicious to eat.


A superfood that has received a ton of press recently, quinoa is the star of the Quinoa, Fruit and Nut Salad that was voted as the first French Fridays with Dorie recipe for April. Upon reading the ingredients that include a variety of nuts and dried fruits, I immediately thought we were making another variation on trail mix (see Beggar's Linguine). However, that one worked out extremely well so I just went with it.


The quinoa is easy and fast to fix. After a quick boil, the seeds look kind of like something out of the ocean with their curly little tails. Dorie recommends using a mixture of nuts and fruits but I wanted to keep it simple and use what I had on hand. I tossed dried cherries and toasted almonds to the cooled quinoa. The salad is coated with a dressing of olive oil, lemon juice, ginger, and a nut oil (or additional olive oild). I used a delicious Meyer Lemon Olive Oil I picked up from Bistro Blends at food fair last fall and loved the extra hit of lemon. I used dried ginger as directed by Dorie but really couldn't taste it and may try minced fresh ginger in the future. I kept this simple and didn't do the greens and yogurt. Maybe next time.


Too anxious to let it sit, I tasted it and was blown away with the nutty flavor and texture of the quinoa combined with the crunch from the almonds and sweet chewiness of the cherries. I fully expected to be underwhelmed but ended up really enjoying this. I'm anxious to try other recipes using quinoa and totally get its popularity.


Versatile, inexpensive, easy, and healthy? Quinoa rocks!
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19 comments:

  1. I am obsessed with quinoa, love the flavor, texture and versatility of this tiny super food. I used fresh ginger and added more than the recipe calls for :) totally agree with you: quinoa rocks!

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  2. This looks great! This was my first recipe with quinoa, so I was hesitant but ended up pleasantly surprised!

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  3. You summed it up so well " versatile, inexpensive, easy and healthy" - yes please. I enjoyed it but am still trying to make Nana a quinoa convert. Since she is not a fan of raisins or yogurt, this dish was fighting an uphill battle :) Can't wait to try new variations with this keeper.

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  4. Quinoa is new to me as well. I love it! So many benefits- it's like the perfect food!

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  5. Looks yummy. I like quinoa and i'm always looking for new recipes, this one looks delicious!

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  6. I really loved this dish and plan to make it again this weekend. Didn't you think this recipe could have even been a breakfast without much adaption?

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  7. Meyer lemon olive oil? MMMH! I need to find some of that.

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  8. What a cute photo! I like your idea of using fresh minced ginger because I could hardly taste the ginger in the dressing. And Meyer lemon is always a good thing! :)

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  9. This looks so delicious! Quinoa is something new for me..I've never tried it. But I have tried the combination of grain + dried fruit in a salad. Really good idea!

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  10. Delicious and beautiful. I love quinoa but have used it mainly in side dishes. Can't wait to try this salad.

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  11. Glad you liked the trail mix & quinoa version! The fresh ginger would add a nice kick & that Meyer Lemon oil sounds wonderful.

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  12. I love your photo and am happy you enjoyed your salad so much:-)

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  13. You're right, the mix-in ingredients were very similar to Beggar's Linguine. I liked the quinoa salad so much better though.

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  14. Another believer added to the group! I'm happy that your first attempt was a success, as quinoa is really versatile and lends itself to many adaptations. We just have to experiment:)

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  15. This was amazingly easy to prepare. Meyer Lemon Olive Oil! That sounds fantastic!!

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  16. So glad to hear that you liked this one. I'm eager to try it myself. Looks great!

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  17. Your salad looks lovely and I agree, this one's a winner and I'm looking forward to finding more uses for quinoa. (I even love typing it!)

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  18. Meyer Lemon olive oil - that sounds amazing. I used ground ginger, too, but will use grated ginger in future. The flavour of the ground ginger was too subtle.

    I like your presentation of the salad, though do try it with greens and yogurt some time. We enjoyed it both ways. I think it would be a terrific accompaniment to grilled fish or chicken, too.

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