Quinoa Beet & Blood Orange Salad

Sometimes you just get in the mood to cook.  

This Sunday was a cook-fest for us, one of those where we were jockeying for position in the kitchen because we both wanted to be in there.  It ended by feeding a small group of friends whom quickly become very full and happy, so that worked out well.

I will say that if/when I make this again, I may leave out the green onions they threw the taste off a little, in my opinion.  I also could not find Kumquats at two stores I was at so those got omitted.   Additionally I did not put avocado in, as I was a little hesitant there was too much going on.  Maybe next time I will put them in.

Green onions, chopped. 

Here we have the zest of blood orange.  You will soon see where these oranges get their names.

Quinoa, most definetly good for you.   I think next time I am going to buy nire red quinoa because it is full of iron.

Zest of a lemon

Simple Lemon Squeeze

At Trader Joe's they have some frozen herbs, here we have Cilantro.  Much easier then letting cilantro rot in your fridge because you only used half on your tacos.

Sea Salt a pantry staple.

Can we all say blood oranges together.   "Blood Oranges, oh yes."

A little labor intensive, but get to peeling.

Then to chopping.

Here we have such a beautiful mortar and pestal.   We recieved such amazing gifts for our wedding.

I must admit when I searched the spice hodge podge and found the whole coriander only I was a little dissapointed.  As if I hadn't done enough labor already.  But it felt super domestic and I was wearing my super cute domestic apron, so I got to smashing.

Add in some spices.

Now once you get all of this together you start hearing "aaaaah" sounds in your head.  It is so pretty, right?

Wow, what a masterpiece.

Here is the dressing portion of the  salad.

Last you fold in the beets, I had cooked these the day before and wow are they gorgeous.

Do you want some?

Eat Well and Play Well and have a Soulful Sunday~

Beet, Blood Orange, Kumquat, and Quinoa Salad

Photo by: Photo: Anna Williams; Styling: Pam Morris

• YIELD: 4 servings
• TOTAL:32 Minutes
• COURSE: Salads

Ingredients

• Dressing:
• 1/4 cup finely chopped green onions
• 2 teaspoons grated blood orange rind
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
• 2 tablespoons blood orange juice
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons finely chopped cilantro
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Salad:
• 1 cup uncooked quinoa
• 1 3/4 cups water
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1 cup blood orange sections, chopped (about 4 medium)
• 1 cup diced peeled avocado
• 6 whole kumquats, seeded and sliced
• 2 medium beets, cooked and cut into wedges

Preparation

1. To prepare dressing, combine first 10 ingredients in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Gradually add oil, stirring constantly with a whisk. Set aside.
2. To prepare salad, place quinoa in a fine sieve, and place sieve in a large bowl. Cover quinoa with water. Using your hands, rub grains together for 30 seconds; rinse and drain. Repeat procedure twice. Drain well.
3. Combine 1 3/4 cups water, quinoa, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 10 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat; fluff with a fork. Combine quinoa, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, blood orange sections, avocado, and kumquats in a large bowl, tossing gently to combine. Add dressing; toss gently to coat salad. Spoon 1 cup salad onto each of 4 plates; top each serving with about 1/2 cup beets.

This recipe is from the MyRecipes website.