Quinoa Salad with chickpeas, lemon and mint

Image from original recipe posting on Food52

Serves 4-6

Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 a large shallot, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, divided
3 cups cooked quinoa (from 1 cup uncooked)
1 stalk celery, in 1/4 -inch dice
1/4 cup raisins
1 (15 oz.) can chickpeas, drained
1/4 cup finely sliced mint leaves
1/4 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and chopped.

In a large bowl, combine the lemon juice, shallot, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and let stand while you pull together the rest of the dish.
Add the quinoa, chickpeas, celery, raisins, mint and olives, if using. Toss together.
Taste for seasoning and add remaining salt and pepper, or maybe lemon juice, if needed.
Serve at room temperature or place in an airtight container and refrigerate until ready to serve.
If serving from the refrigerator, let it sit for a few minutes to shake off the chill - this salad is best at room temperature.

Recipe from Food52.

Quinoa Salad with Hazelnuts, Apple, and Dried Cranberries

Serves 4

1 cup quinoa, rinsed well (any other grain will do as well. I used farro)
1 1/2 cups water, for quinoa
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 small onion, finely diced
2 stalks of celery, finely diced
1 cup hazelnuts, toasted, de-skinned and chopped (or use any nuts you have - I used almond slivers and raw cashews)
1 bunch (about 5 to 6) green onions, chopped (green parts only)
1/2 cup dried cranberries, chopped * see note
1 bunch flat leaf parsley, thoroughly rinsed and chopped
1 gala apple (really, any kind of apple will do)
1 large lemon, juiced
Generous drizzle of any kind of oil (I like hazelnut)
Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. Preheat your oven to 325F and toast your hazelnuts for about 7-10 minutes. Let them cool completely. You should begin to hear their skins crackle while cooling; this is a good sign!  Skip this step if you don't use hazelnuts.
2. Meanwhile, cook your quinoa. Importantly, rinse it well! Boil the water with a pinch of salt, and add your rinsed quinoa. Turn your stove down to medium-low and let it cook for roughly 15 minutes, or until the water is absorbed. Fluff quinoa with a fork, and let it cool in the fridge. 
3. Going back to the cooled, toasted hazelnuts; remove the skins. Chop the hazelnuts up, leaving them in large pieces. Skip this step if you don't use hazelnuts.
4. Preheat a skillet with 1 tbsp of oil and soften your finely chopped onion and celery. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper to taste. Try not to brown them, 5 to 7 minutes on medium - low heat should do the trick. Set aside in a large salad bowl. 
5. Rinse your parsley well and chop it finely followed by your dried cranberries and green onions. Add all this to the onion and celery mixture. 
6. Core and dice the apple, put your apple chunks in the bowl with the other ingredients. Squeeze the entire lemon over the apple to season the salad and prevent the apple from turning brown. 
7. Add your quinoa and hazelnuts to the mixture, drizzle with the oil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Season with more lemon juice if you like. Mix well and cool completely. Allow the flavors to meld for 20 minutes before serving! 

Recipe is from Food52. They recommend using good quality dried cranberries. Craisins work but they tend to turn the salad a pinkish hue after a few hours, and may be too sweet.

Green Chili Chicken & Quinoa Stew

Yields 5 servings. Total time 30 minutes.

Ingredients
2 14 oz jars of diced tomatoes & chilis
1 rotisserie chicken, skinned, boned, shredded
2/3 cup uncooked quinoa
3 cups chicken broth
1 can navy beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup sweet corn

Optional Add-Ons For Serving
3 plum tomatoes, diced
1 small jalapeno, seeded (or not) and diced
1/3 cup chopped red onion
Juice from 1/2 lime
Handful of cilantro

Directions
In a saucepan, bring quinoa and 2 cups chicken broth to a boil. Cook approximately 15 minutes, until quinoa gets a little translucent. Once done, transfer to soup pot on stove.

While making quinoa, skin, bone and shred the chicken. Put the chicken in soup pot, along with diced tomatoes, remaining cup chicken broth, navy beans and sweet corn. Simmer until heated through.

Serve with any of the optional add-ons.

Notes: recipe is an adapted version from confections of a foodie.

Chicken Stew with Butternut Squash + Quinoa

Serves 6  *  Picture & Recipe courtesy of Fearless Homemaker

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 lb. butternut squash, peeled, seeded + chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
• 3 cups chicken broth
• the meat of 1 rotisserie chicken (about 3-4 cups), shredded (i used both white + dark meat)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 can (14 oz) petite diced tomatoes
• 2/3 cup uncooked quinoa
• 3/4 cup pitted + quartered kalamata olives (i omitted these because of an olive-hatin’ husband, but i’d recommend adding them in for additional flavor + color!)
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley

DIRECTIONS

• Steam the butternut squash until barely tender, about 10 minutes. remove half of the squash pieces + set aside.
• Steam the remaining squash until very tender, an additional 4 to 6 minutes. mash this squash with the back of a fork. set aside.
• In a large saucepan set over medium heat, add the olive oil. add the onion + cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is starting to turn golden, 8 to 10 minutes. add the minced garlic + oregano – cook, stirring, for 1 additional minute.
• Add the diced tomatoes, butternut squash pieces, mashed butternut squash, chicken broth, + quinoa. stir to combine. bring to a simmer, cover + cook until the quinoa turns translucent, about 15 minutes.
• add the shredded chicken, kalamata olives, + salt + pepper. simmer, uncovered, until chicken is heated through + sauce has thickened to your liking. for me, this took about 10-15 more minutes. add more Salt/pepper if needed, to taste.
• Garnish with the fresh parsley + serve.

Quinoa Corn Edamame

YIELDS ABOUT 4 CUPS

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups frozen, shelled, edamame
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup cooked, cooled quinoa (leftover is great)
1 green onion, sliced (just green parts)
½ red sweet bell pepper, diced
2 Tbsp minced fresh cilantro
1½ Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 Tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp chili powder
¼ tsp dried thyme
⅛ tsp freshly ground black pepper
dash of cayenne

STEP 1:
Briefly boil the edamame and the corn, just until tender. Drain very well and cool completely.

STEP 2:
In a large bowl, combine the edamame, corn, quinoa, green onion, red pepper and cilantro.

STEP 3:
In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, lime juice, salt, chili powder, black pepper, thyme and cayenne until emulsified. Drizzle mixture over salad mixture and toss to coat. Cover and chill for at least two hours

Recipe found on 86 lemons.

Rosemary Chicken with Corn Quinoa

Ready in 40 minutes. Serves 4 or 5.

Chicken Ingredients:
4 skinned and boned chicken breasts (2 lb.)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
2 tablespoons olive oil

Preparation:
Sprinkle chicken with salt, pepper, and rosemary. Cook in hot oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat 6 minutes on each side or until done. Serve with quinoa.

Fresh Corn Quinoa Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups uncooked red quinoa
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
4 cups water
4 shallots or 2 small onions, quartered
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups fresh corn kernels
6 cups shredded greens (such as chard)
1/2 cup torn basil
1/4 cup torn mint
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Preparation:
Bring quinoa, salt, and water to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium, and simmer 8 to 10 minutes or until tender; drain. Cover and let stand 15 minutes. Meanwhile, sauté shallots in hot olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat 3 minutes or until tender. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute. Add corn kernels and shredded greens; cook 2 minutes or just until wilted. Add quinoa, basil, mint, and fresh lemon juice.

Recipe from Southern Living's September 2013 issue. See it here.

Roasted Broccoli, Asparagus and Grape Quinoa Salad

Makes 3 to 4 servings * Ready in 30 minutes

Original recipe posted on Dish Up Delights. Modified version below.

INGREDIENTS

• 2lb broccoli, (1lb cut) washed, dried and cut into florets
• 8 ounces large seedless grapes, washed and dried
• 1 asparagus bunch, cut into 1 or 2-inch pieces
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1/3 dry quinoa
• 3 handfuls baby arugula
• 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard (optional)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons roughly chopped roasted and salted pistachios (optional)

DIRECTIONS

• Boil 1 cup water and throw in quinoa. Boil per directions on the packaging (approximately 15 minutes).
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil.
• Toss the broccoli, grapes, and asparagus with enough olive oil to lightly coat them. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Roast for 20-30 minutes or until the grapes are blistered and the broccoli and asparagus are slightly charred.
• In a large bowl, toss the the broccoli, grapes, and asparagus with the quinoa and arugula. In a small bowl, whisk together 1 tablespoon of olive oil, the balsamic, and Dijon mustard. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Toss the dressing with the salad and combine well. Adjust the seasonings if necessary. Garnish with pistachios. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.

Red Rice and Quinoa Salad with Orange and Pistachios Recipe - Yotam Ottolenghi | Food & Wine

Red Rice and Quinoa Salad with Orange and Pistachios Recipe - Yotam Ottolenghi | Food & Wine

INGREDIENTS

1 cup quinoa

1 cup Camargue red rice (see Note)

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil I only used 1 tablespoon

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1/3 cup fresh orange juice no pulp

1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated orange zest

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 cup dried apricots, cut into 1/3-inch dice

1/2 cup roasted pistachios, chopped nuts are expensive, so I just used what I had at home: almond slivers and raw cashews

4 scallions, thinly sliced good call

2 cups baby arugula leaves

DIRECTIONS

1. Bring 2 medium saucepans of salted water to a boil. Add the quinoa to 1 saucepan and the red rice to the other. Cover and simmer over moderate heat until tender, about 12 minutes for the quinoa and 35 minutes for the rice. Drain the grains and spread them out on baking sheets to cool.
2. In a medium skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Add the onion, season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Let cool.
3. In a large bowl, combine the orange juice, orange zest, lemon juice, garlic and the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Add the quinoa, rice, onion, apricots, pistachios and scallions and toss well. Serve with the arugula.

MAKE AHEAD

The cooked quinoa and rice and the dressing can be refrigerated separately overnight. Bring to room temperature before proceeding with the recipe.

NOTES

Camargue red rice is available at specialty food and health food stores. Brown rice makes an excellent substitute.

One Serving 402 cal, 17 gm fat, 2.1 gm sat fat, 56 gm carb, 6 gm fiber, 10 gm protein.

MY COMMENTS

Delicious. I highly recommend making more salad dressing though (without adding more garlic, it has just the right amount). 

BTW another good version of this salad is to substitute apricots for cranberries and the dressing for balsamic vinegar.