Quinoa has been a staple in my cupboard, however, I am conscious of using it sparingly due to the ethical issues surrounding the grain.
One means of spreading my small supply out is by combining it with a variety of other ingredients, especially vegetables. This is my favorite means of serving quinoa not only because of my love of salads, but also because it allows me to play the nutty flavor and fluffy texture of quinoa off of other textures and tastes.
This quinoa salad can be served warm or cold, depending on when the quinoa is added to the other ingredients.
Sweet Balsamic Fennel and Quinoa Salad
Quinoa has been a staple in my cupboard, however, I am conscious of using it sparingly due to the ethical issues surrounding the grain. However, one means of spreading my small supply out is by combining it with a variety of other ingredients, especially vegetables. This is my favorite means of serving quinoa not only because of my love of salads, but also because it allows me to play the nutty flavor and fluffy texture of quinoa off of other textures and tastes. This salad can be served warm or cold, depending on when the quinoa is added to the other ingredients.
Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa, cooked according to package directions
- 1/2 cup sunflower seeds, plus more for garnish
- 1/2 fennel bulb, thinly sliced
- 1/2 sweet onion, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup dried blueberries
- 1 cup spinach
- 2 tbsp grapeseed oil
- 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Vinaigrette
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 shallot, minced
- 1 tbsp sugar
Instructions
- Blend together the ingredients for the vinaigrette until smooth.
- Toss the quinoa, sunflower seeds, fennel, onion, blueberries and spinach together in a large bowl. Drizzle the vinaigrette over the mixture and toss again to evenly coat the ingredients. Serve right away.
Notes
Calories: 445
Total Fat: 18g
Carbohydrates: 70g
Protein: 11g
Nutrition Information
Yield
4Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 272Total Fat 16gSaturated Fat 2gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 13gCholesterol 0mgSodium 1009mgCarbohydrates 28gFiber 5gSugar 11gProtein 7g
Hi Samantha, Thank you for this really good quinoa recipe. What are the ethical issues about using quinoa? I have been using quinoa for eight years and have written a book about it. But I haven’t come across any issues.
All the quinoa sold in the UK is Fairtrade sourced, as far as I can surmise from the packets.