Red Quinoa Salad with Spinach and Chickpeas

We celebrated summer tonight with Chicken Mojito, Jiddo's Hummus Bi Tahini, and a fabulous Red Quinoa Salad. By combining different recipes, I came up with this nutritious, delicious, Spanish inspired dish, which I've made several times to rave reviews. If you prefer to go vegetarian, serve this quinoa salad with mixed greens. Whether served as a main course or a side dish, this dish provides a perfect summer lunch or supper.

RED QUINOA SALAD WITH SPINACH AND CHICKPEAS

For the salad:
1¼ cups red quinoa
2½ cups water, vegetable broth, or chicken broth
1 15-oz. can chickpeas, rinsed well and drained
1 10-oz. bag spinach, washed and roughly chopped
2 baby seedless cucumbers,
            or ½ long English seedless cucumber, peeled and diced
1 bunch of fresh mint leaves, chopped
Pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, and/or pistachio nuts for garnish
Salad greens, if serving as a main course salad

For the dressing:
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup champagne vinegar
3 Tbs. fresh lime juice
3 tsps. honey
1 large garlic clove, minced or put through a press
Salt and fresh ground black pepper

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1. Bring broth to a boil in a large sauce pan. Add quinoa and simmer about 20 minutes (red quinoa takes a few minutes longer than white to cook), until "halo" appears around the grains. Fluff quinoa. Let sit partially covered for five minutes, then turn into a large bowl to cool. (Quinoa can be rinsed in cold water to cool faster. Drain well.)

2. Fold spinach, chickpeas, mint, and cucumber into cooled quinoa.

3. Whisk dressing ingredients together, fold into salad, and chill.

4. Serve over salad greens or as a side dish. Pass seeds and nuts at the table. Enjoy with crusty bread and a summery dry rosé or crisp white wine. Easily serves 6.

Southwestern Composed Salad

Last night, I served this "composed" main course salad to our writers' group in a glass bowl to highlight the colorful layers. Once we dug in, the composed effect vanished, but the salad created gorgeous scoops of rainbows over the baby greens on our plates (see below). Delicious, lo-cal, and summery, casual enough for a barbecue but fancy enough for your mother-in-law, what more could you want? And leftovers are great. Tonight my husband and I enjoyed them with Chicken with Honey and Cumin Marinade.

The first photo I posted on Kitchen Excursions, the gorgeous Antipasto to the right, is a lovely example of a composed salad. No, it doesn't mean the salad is calm and collected. A composed salad is simply the opposite of a tossed salad, arranged just so, a more elegant presentation. Despite the prep work, composed salads are fun to make, and ingredient amounts aren't critical. All you really need to do the job is your imagination and a pretty platter or a glass salad bowl. Experiment, and enjoy!

SOUTHWESTERN COMPOSED SALAD

For the salad:

¾ cup pearl barley

2¼ cups vegetable or chicken broth

1 cup red quinoa

2 cups water or broth

1-2 cups black-eyed peas, fresh, frozen, or dried

10 oz. frozen corn, thawed, or fresh corn from 2-3 ears, cooked al dente

2 cups broccoli florets

1 15-oz. can pink beans, rinsed and drained well
Baby spinach and/or salad green of choice

For the Dressing:
6 Tbs. olive oil

2 Tbs. dry white wine

½ cup fresh lime juice

2 Tbs. honey

3-4 cloves garlic, minced

3 tsps. ground cumin

1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped

½ tsp. Kosher salt

Fresh ground black pepper

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1. Stir barley in a small saucepan over moderate heat until it starts to color, about 5 minutes. Add hot broth and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer about 40 minutes, until liquid is absorbed and barley is tender. Leave partially covered until cool.

2. Bring the quinoa and broth to a boil. Cover and simmer about 20 minutes, until liquid is absorbed and germ of the grain is visible. Leave partially covered until cool.

3. Cook black-eyed peas according to package directions. Drain and let cool.

4. Lightly steam broccoli. Drain and cool.

5. Assemble salad in layers, ending with red quinoa. When ready to serve, spoon over salad greens and pass dressing separately rather than dressing the whole salad. Leftovers will keep better this way. Enough for 6-8 as a main course salad.

Quinoa and Two-Bean Salad

Our Monday night writers’ group enjoyed this southwestern-style salad as a main course last night. We gobbled it up along with a fresh spinach and herb salad and a loaf of crusty French bread. Quinoa and Two-Bean Salad is also a perfect side dish for those big barbecue parties coming up.

Quinoa (KEEN-wa) first appeared on Kitchen Excursions in the Portobello Mushrooms Stuffed with Quinoa and Spinach recipe. Cultivated by the Incas of South America thousands of years ago, quinoa’s tiny, grain-like seeds are a complete and easily digestible protein and a smart and delicious addition to any diet.

Look for pre-washed quinoa, and don't be afraid to experiment with different colored "grains." I chose the beans in this recipe for color. Use whatever type you prefer.

QUINOA and TWO-BEAN SALAD

For the Salad:
1¼ cups quinoa
2½ cups water
1 15-oz. can black beans
1 15-oz. can pink beans
1 Tbs. white balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
1½ cups frozen corn, thawed
½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 bunch scallions, green tops sliced, white bottoms chopped

For the Dressing:
3 Tbs. olive oil
6 Tbs. fresh lime juice
2 tsps. honey
3 tsps. ground cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
1 large garlic clove, minced

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1. Bring water to a boil. Stir in quinoa. Simmer about 12 minutes, until water is absorbed. Fluff and let sit off the heat for five minutes, then transfer to a large bowl to cool.

2. Rinse and drain beans. Toss beans in a medium bowl with vinegar and salt and pepper and let sit.

3. Whisk dressing ingredients together.

3. Add corn (no need to cook it), beans, cilantro, and scallions to quinoa. Fold in dressing and turn salad into serving bowl. Garnish with scallion tops. Serves 6-8 or more as a main course.

Portobello Mushrooms Stuffed with Quinoa and Spinach

Quinoa-Stuffed Mushrooms,
Steamed Purple Cauliflower,
and Kabocha Squash
Braised in Soy and Ginger

The grain-like seeds of quinoa (KEEN-wa) were first cultivated by the Incas of South America thousands of years ago. A complete and easily digestible protein, this tiny pseudograin is a scrumptious and nutritious addition to any diet.

I first came across quinoa while seeking vegetarian recipes for our Monday night writers' group suppers, and it's one of the best food finds I've ever made. If you've never tried quinoa, please do. Cook it like rice, and use it as the base of a main course salad, as a side dish, or, as in this recipe, as a stuffing. Look for the pre-washed kind, and don't be afraid to experiment with different colored quinoa "grains."

PORTOBELLO MUSHROOMS STUFFED with QUINOA and SPINACH

For the Quinoa:

1 cup quinoa

2 cups chicken or vegetable broth

For the Mushrooms:

8-10 portobello mushroom caps             2 Tbs. balsamic vinegar

2 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil                      3-4 garlic cloves, minced

2 Tbs. soy sauce                                       Salt and pepper

To Assemble the Dish:

1 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil                      1 10-oz. pkg. fresh spinach,

1 large shallot, chopped                               stemmed, washed, and chopped

3-4 garlic cloves, minced                        1/3 cup toasted pine nuts

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1. Combine quinoa and broth in a 2-qt. pan. Bring to a boil. Cover and lower heat. Simmer about 12 minutes, until liquid is absorbed and germ of the grain becomes visible. Remove from heat, fluff quinoa, and set aside.

2. Meanwhile, combine oil, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper. Remove mushroom stems and gills, rinse briefly, and brush mixture over mushrooms. Place topside up on foil-wrapped baking sheet and let sit at least ten minutes.

Heat broiler and broil mushrooms about five minutes, then turn and broil another 3-4 minutes. (Mushrooms may flatten. Don't worry.) Using a spatula, remove them to a baking pan or oven-proof serving dish, bottom side up.

3.  Heat oil in non-stick skillet. Add shallots and sauté until soft, about 3 minutes. Add garlic. Stir for a minute. Add spinach. Turn gently until wilted. Fold in quinoa, mixing until all the grains are unclumped and coated with oil. Spoon mixture onto mushroom caps. Drizzle liquid in broiling pan over mushrooms. Cover and keep in warm oven until ready to serve. Top with pine nuts and serve with salad and/or vegetables, as desired. Generously serves 4-5.