Ingredients
For the salad
- 1 c. tri-colored quinoa, uncooked*
- 1 bunch of asparagus, cut into 1” pieces on a diagonal
- 1x 14 oz. can of chickpeas, rinsed & drained
- 2 carrots, shredded
- 2 tbsp. cilantro, roughly chopped
- handful of dried cranberries
- 1 diced apple (optional)
- salt & pepper
Ginger curry vinaigrette
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- 2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
- 1 heaped tsp. madras curry powder
- 2 tsp. honey
- 1/2 inch piece of ginger, peeled and grated
- 1/2 clove of garlic
- 1/2 c. olive oil
* Substitute with any color quinoa for this dish.
Instructions
- Make the quinoa: In a large pot, cook the quinoa according to the package instructions. When it’s finished, spread out onto a rimmed baking sheet. Cool to room temperature. You can even pop it in the fridge if you’re impatient!
- Make the vinaigrette: In a blender (or food processor), blitz the first 6 vinaigrette ingredients. Slowly stream in the olive oil to emulsify. Taste the dressing and adjust seasoning with salt, pepper and extra curry powder is desired. Set aside.
- Make the asparagus: In a large saute pan, add a splash of olive oil and warm over moderate heat. Add the chopped asparagus, season with salt and pepper, and saute until crisp tender. The time will depend on the size. It’s best to slightly under cook the asparagus as they will continue to cook once removed from the heat.
- Assemble the salad: In a large bowl, add the cooled quinoa, warm asparagus, chickpeas, and julienned carrots. Add the chopped cilantro, cranberries and apples (if using). Drizzle a little ginger curry vinaigrette over the salad and toss well.
- Serve the salad at room temperature with extra vinaigrette on the side.