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. |