Very Green Quinoa Salad

I have been experimenting with Quinoa, serving it stuffed in Portobello Mushrooms (see recipe under herbs), using in place of couscous or rice and thought I would try it as a cold salad. I was wondering if it would change texture like cold rice, getting hard and a bit crunchy, but the quinoa held up its shape and texture. I created this Very Green Quinoa Salad; it tasted incredibly light and refreshing. I pulled the Lemon-Basil Pesto from the freezer and brought a taste of summer back on a cold day of 15 degrees. I tested it on the Bunco Babes who, like many, have not had quinoa and they seemed to love it, with many going back for seconds. I felt like a spokeswoman for quinoa giving them tips on how to cook it, where to buy it, etc…

Very Green Quinoa Salad

1 cup quinoa

2 cups water

½ pound green beans

1/3 cup Lemon-Basil Pesto*

¾ teaspoon sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

2 Tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice

1-14 ounce artichoke hearts, drained and quartered

Place quinoa in a fine strainer and rinse under cold running water until water runs clear. Drain well. In a medium saucepan place 2 cups of water and the rinsed quinoa. Bring the mixture to a boil, lower heat and simmer, covered, until quinoa is tender but still chewy and a white spiral-like thread appears around each grain, about 15 minutes.  Cool to room temperature.

Cook green beans until tender crisp. I used Dragon Beans from my freezer, which turn yellow when cooked; I think the green would have been a prettier presentation. I placed the frozen green beans on a plate, added a splash of water, topped with a piece of wax paper and microwaved on the “frozen vegetable” button. Smart microwave, that little button worked perfectly! Once cool enough to handle cut into 1-2 inch pieces.

In a mixing bowl add quinoa, lemon-basil pesto, salt, black pepper and lemon juice; mix gently until thoroughly combined.  Add green beans, toss. Finally add artichoke hearts and toss gently. Taste and adjust seasonings. Place in a serving bowl and serve at room temperature or cold. This makes a whole bowl full, about 6 side servings.

 The next day I added flaked  tuna to the cold quinoa salad, it was a delicious lunch!

*Look under “basil” for the Lemon-Bail Pesto recipe. I had some in the freezer from my summer harvest, just place the amount needed in a dish and let thaw before adding to the quinoa.

Posted in Basil, Green Beans, Pesto | 2 Comments »

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