Asparagus Quinoa Salad Recipes

QUINOA AND ASPARAGUS SALAD

Steps:

• Combine the quinoa with 2 cups water in a small saucepan. Bring to a gentle boil, then lower the heat, cover, and simmer until the water is absorbed, about 15 minutes. If you'd like a more tender grain, add 1/2 cup additional water and continue to simmer until the water is absorbed. Allow to cool to room temperature.
• Meanwhile, scrape the bottom halves of the asparagus spears if need be. If fresh and tender, you can skip this step. Cut the asparagus into 1- to 2-inch pieces.
• Place the asparagus in a skillet with just enough water to keep the bottom moist. Cover and steam over medium heat just until bright green and tender-crisp.
• Transfer the asparagus to a colander and rinse with water until it's at room temperature.
• Combine with the quinoa and asparagus with the remaining ingredients in a serving bowl and mix well. Let stand for a few minutes, then serve. Pass around extra wedges of lime, if you'd like.

QUINOA AND ASPARAGUS SALAD

Steps:

• Place the quinoa in a strainer and rinse several times with cold water. Place in a medium saucepan with 1 1/2 cups water and salt to taste. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer 15 minutes, until the grains display a threadlike spiral and the water is absorbed. Remove from the heat, remove the lid and place a dish towel over the pan, then return the lid to the pan and let sit for 10 minutes or longer undisturbed. Transfer to a salad bowl and fluff with forks.
• Steam the asparagus for 3 to 4 minutes, until just tender. Rinse with cold water, pat dry and cut on the diagonal into 1-inch pieces. Add to the quinoa, along with the radishes, pine nuts, chives and tarragon.
• Whisk together the lemon juice, garlic, salt, olive oil, buttermilk and pepper. Shortly before serving, toss with the quinoa and asparagus mixture. Sprinkle the feta over the top and serve. If desired, drizzle a teaspoon of the lemon-scented olive oil over each serving.

QUINOA SALAD WITH ASPARAGUS, GOAT CHEESE AND BLACK OLIVES

Steps:

• For the vinaigrette: Combine the vinegar, honey and mustard in a blender and blend until smooth. With the motor running, slowly add the olive oil and blend until emulsified. Add salt and pepper to taste and pulse a few times to incorporate.
• For the quinoa salad: Bring the salted water or vegetable stock to a boil and add the thyme. Stir in the quinoa, bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer until cooked through, about 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and let sit 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
• Preheat the grill. Brush the asparagus with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill on all sides until just cooked through, about 5 minutes. Remove from the grill and cut into 1/2-inch pieces.
• Transfer the quinoa to a large bowl, fold in the asparagus, olives, goat cheese, basil and parsley. Add just enough vinaigrette to moisten the salad; don't make it too wet. Transfer to a platter and drizzle with more of the vinaigrette.

QUINOA, ASPARAGUS, AND FETA SALAD

Steps:

• Pour water into a saucepan and bring to a boil; add quinoa and salt, stir, cover saucepan with a lid, and reduce heat to low. Simmer mixture until quinoa is tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat, let quinoa rest for 5 minutes, and transfer quinoa to a bowl to cool.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add asparagus and cook uncovered until tender but still crisp, 2 to 3 minutes; drain in a colander and immediately immerse asparagus in ice water for several minutes until cold to stop the cooking process. Drain.
• Stir asparagus, feta cheese, almonds, green onions, parsley, thyme, and lemon zest into quinoa.
• Whisk lemon juice, olive oil, honey, garlic, Dijon mustard, and black pepper together in a bowl until dressing is smooth. Pour dressing over quinoa mixture and stir gently to combine.

QUINOA AND ASPARAGUS SALAD WITH MIMOSA VINAIGRETTE

Steps:

• Put eggs in a small saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, then cover pan, and remove from heat. Let eggs stand, covered, 15 minutes, then drain, and transfer to a bowl of ice water to cool completely. Remove shells and finely grate eggs with a Microplane or the fine holes of box grater into a small bowl. Set aside.
• Rinse quinoa well in a large fine-mesh sieve under cold running water. Set sieve over a bowl and let quinoa drain well for at least 5 minutes. Bring 2 1/2 cups water to a boil with 1/2 teaspoon salt (kosher or fine) in a 3-quart saucepan. Add quinoa and simmer, covered, until water is absorbed and quinoa is tender, 16 to 20 minutes. Remove pan from heat and let quinoa stand, covered, 5 minutes. Spoon quinoa onto a large rimmed baking sheet, spreading it in a single layer, and let it cool to room temperature.
• Cut scallions into 2-inch pieces. Halve each piece lengthwise, then slice lengthwise into thin strips (julienne). Transfer to a large bowl.
• Using vegetable peeler, peel lengthwise strips from asparagus, beginning at bottom end, and add to scallion. Once you can't peel any more slices from a stalk, break off the thick end (reserving it for another use, such as soup) and add the remaining thin strip to bowl with scallions.
• Whisk together lemon juice with honey and 3/4 teaspoon kosher (1/2 teaspoon fine) salt until smooth. Add oil in a steady stream, whisking until combined. Taste and adjust seasoning, if desired, then whisk in grated eggs.
• Transfer quinoa to another large bowl and toss with herbs and 1/2 cup vinaigrette, or to taste. Toss asparagus with 3 tablespoons vinaigrette and salt and pepper to taste.
• Spoon quinoa onto salad plates, and top with a tangle of asparagus and scallion. Serve remaining vinaigrette on the side, or save, chilled, for another salad.

GRILLED ASPARAGUS AND QUINOA SALAD WITH GOAT CHEESE AND BLACK OLIVE VINAIGRETTE

Steps:

• Heat grill. Brush asparagus with olive oil and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Grill on both sides until just cooked through, about 2 minutes on each side. Remove from grill and cut in half.
• Bring 8 cups of salted water to a boil. Add quinoa and cook until soft. Drain and rinse with cold water and drain again. Place the quinoa in a medium bowl and add red wine vinegar, olive oil, parsley and 1/4 cup of olive vinaigrette. Stir to combine. Place on plate and top with goat cheese, asparagus, whole nicoise olives, sliced tomato and parsley sprigs.
• Black Olive Vinaigrette: Combine vinegar, mustard, chile powder, olives and olive oil in a blender and blend until smooth.

ASPARAGUS QUINOA SALAD

Steps:

• Put the quinoa in a strainer and rinse it for a minute or two under running water. Put the water and a pinch of salt in a medium saucepan over high heat and bring to a boil. Stir in the quinoa, lower the heat to medium-low, cover, and cook over medium-low heat for 20 minutes, or until soft. (When it's done, the quinoa seeds will have little wisps spiraling off of them-this is the germ separating from the seed.) Drain the quinoa in a strainer.
• While the quinoa is cooking, break off and discard the tough ends of the asparagus and cut the asparagus into 1-inch pieces. Place in a saucepan, add about 1/2 inch of water, and bring to a boil. Cover and cook over medium-low heat for 3 to 4 minutes, or until barely tender. (Alternatively, if you have a microwave, place the asparagus in a microwave-safe bowl. Add a few tablespoons of water, cover with plastic wrap or wax paper, and microwave on high heat for 3 to 4 minutes, or until barely tender.) Drain the asparagus and place it under cold running water for 1 minute to cool it down.
• Cut the kalamata olives into thin slices. Cut the tomato in half, scrape the seeds out of the tomato with a small tool or your finger, and chop into 1/2-inch pieces. Finely grate 1 teaspoon of the lemon peel. Be careful to only grate the yellow part; the white pith underneath is bitter. Squeeze 3 tablespoons of juice from the lemon.
• Place the quinoa in a bowl with the asparagus, kalamata olives, tomato, and lemon zest and stir until combined. Whisk together the lemon juice and olive oil and pour over the quinoa mixture. Stir well and season with salt and pepper. Serve topped with the feta cheese.
• bargain shopper
• Grains such as quinoa, bulgur wheat, and rice are available prepackaged in most grocery stores. But you can save a substantial amount of money by purchasing them from the bulk food section at a natural food store. For that matter, many supermarkets now have bulk food sections, too.

QUINOA SALAD WITH ASPARAGUS, DATES, AND ORANGE

Steps:

• To prepare salad, heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add white onion to pan; sauté 2 minutes.
• Add quinoa to pan; sauté 5 minutes. Add 2 cups water and 1/2 teaspoon salt to pan; bring to a boil.
• Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes. Remove from heat; let stand 15 minutes or until water is absorbed.
• Transfer quinoa mixture to a large bowl. Add orange and next 5 ingredients (through jalapeño); toss gently to combine.
• To prepare dressing, combine juice and next 4 ingredients (through garlic) in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Pour dressing over salad; toss gently to coat.
• Sprinkle with chopped mint. Garnish with mint sprigs, if desired. Serve at room temperature.

WARM QUINOA SALAD WITH SHRIMP AND ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• In a saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat, and sauté the garlic and onion for 3 minutes.
• Add the sun-dried tomatoes, and continue to sauté for 1 more minute.
• Add the vegetable stock, white wine, lemon juice, lemon zest, pepper and salt, and bring it to a boil.
• Stir in the quinoa, and simmer on a low heat with the saucepan covered for about 20 minutes, or until the quinoa is almost tender to the bite.
• Add the shrimp to the saucepan on top of the quinoa and simmer for 3 more minutes.
• Add the asparagus and peas on top of the shrimp and simmer for 3 more minutes.
• Top the dish with the roasted cashew pieces, scallions, and chopped parsley. Season to taste with the salt and pepper.

RED QUINOA SALAD WITH WALNUTS, ASPARAGUS AND DUKKAH

Steps:

• Steam asparagus for 3 to 4 minutes (4 if thick, 3 if thin) above 1 inch of boiling water. Remove from heat, rinse with cold water, drain and dry on dish towels, and set aside.
• Combine quinoa, chives, parsley and walnuts in a large bowl.
• In a small bowl or measuring cup whisk together lemon juice, garlic, mustard, salt, and oils. Taste and adjust seasonings. Add to quinoa mixture along with freshly ground pepper to taste, and toss together.
• Spoon quinoa onto plates or into bowls. Top each serving with 1/2 teaspoon dukkah. Garnish with asparagus spears and serve.

QUINOA SALAD WITH ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• Combine water and quinoa in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 12-15 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed. Transfer to a large bowl. Set aside to cool.
• Meanwhile, preheat a large chargrill on high. Spray lightly with oil. Cook the asparagus for 2-3 minutes or until tender crisp. Add the asparagus, capsicum, feta, sunflower seed kernels, shallot and parsley to the quinoa.
• Whisk the lemon juice, honey, oil and paprika in a small bowl until well combined. Add the dressing and rocket to the quinoa mixture. Season with pepper and toss to combine.