Nope. Still haven’t had enough asparagus.
And I’ve made this salad four times since the it’s spring debut.
There has been a lot of stinky pee in this house.
What?
It’s just nature.
2 potlucks, a dinner party and a big batch for lunches later, I think I’ve garnered enough high fives for this recipe to warrant a blog post.
The key to using asparagus in a cold salad is to blanche it first. Blanching means to boil something for a short period of time followed by immediately plunging it into an ice water bath to stop the cooking. The finished product will be tender while remaining slightly crisp and bright green.
I used asparagus with a medium thickness for this recipe. You may have to adjust your blanching time to be shorter or longer depending on thickness.
This recipe has a very heavy asparagus to quinoa ratio. Any grain salad can be made healthier (and lower in calories) by doubling the vegetables called for and halving the grain. Plus, the in-season vegetables should really be the star of the show.
While the toasted almonds are an optional ingredient for this recipe, I think they add a really nice crunch and a bit of smokiness to the overall freshness from the asparagus and lemon zest/ juice.
This recipe makes a huge batch too. If you’re planning to serve it as a side there will be loads leftover. I turned mine into four substantial lunches by adding a can of drained and rinsed chickpeas.
I love it when a recipe does double duty.
Erin
Asparagus and Quinoa Salad
Serves | 8 |
Prep time | 10 minutes |
Cook time | 20 minutes |
Total time | 30 minutes |
Ingredients
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa (rinsed)
- 2 bunches asparagus (chopped into 1.5 inch pieces, spears separated)
- 200g feta cheese (crumbled)
- Zest of 1 lemon
Optional
- 1/3 cup toasted almonds
Dressing
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil or cold pressed canola oil
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 shallot (minced)
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
Note
If making the salad ahead of time, wait until just before serving to dress it. The asparagus becomes a little dull in colour once it sits for a prolonged period in the vinaigrette.
Directions
1. | Bring water to boil in a covered, medium saucepan. Stir in quinoa, reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook for 10 minutes. Remove from heat, let stand for 5 minutes and transfer to a large bowl to cool. |
2. | Bring large pot of water to a boil. Add asparagus stems. Set timer for 3 minutes. After the first minute, add asparagus spears for the remaining time. Immediately strain and plunge asparagus into a large bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process. |
3. | Add asparagus to quinoa. Add feta cheese, lemon zest and almonds. |
4. | In a separate bowl or container, whisk or shake together all of the dressing ingredients. |
5. | Add dressing to quinoa mixture and combine thoroughly. |
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Laura says
Mmm. I just ate my second serving. It was too good to just have one.
howt1653 says
Thanks Laura!
Elouise says
Now I know who the brainy one is, I’ll keep loiknog for your posts.
Karen says
Love the sound of this. Making it this weekend for sure!
howt1653 says
Would love to hear how it turns out Karen!
Jaqie says
Added some freshly chopped mint and finely chopped celery to give it a bit of a different flavour.
howt1653 says
Uh, YUM. Such a good call Jaqie. FINALLY, it’s asparagus season!
Mavrick says
Back in school, I’m doing so much learinng.