My sister told me about red quinoa and how it was like comparing white rice to brown rice. It is a little nuttier flavor and texture. I bought a box and found a recipe I wanted to try. I made modifications however, and so I posted them here. This salad I find gets better with age. After 3 days I really love it! The flavors really mellowed and it is very refreshing. I might also try doing half white/half red quinoa as well next time:- 2 cups quinoa (my box only came with 1 3/4 cup)
- 3 cups chicken broth, homemade or canned low-sodium broth
- 4 scallions (green onion), light and white green part only, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup craisins
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1/2 cup fresh orange juice
- 1 teaspoon grated orange zest
- 1 apple diced
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 cucumber, peeled, halved, seeded and chopped (optional)
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
- Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Directions
Place the quinoa in a fine-mesh sieve and rinse under cold water until the water runs clear. Bring the chicken stock to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the quinoa and return to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer the quinoa until it has expanded fully, about 20 to 25 minutes. Uncover, fluff with a fork and set aside to cool.
Place the cooled quinoa in a large bowl. Add the scallions, raisins, rice vinegar, orange juice and zest, olive oil, cumin, cucumber and parsley and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold, then serve.
