Spicy Quinoa Salad

"A zesty and colorful salad that makes great use of cranberries. Nice addition to a holiday buffet as it can be prepped in advance, is zesty and unusual and the flavors compliment most every cuisine."
 
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Ready In:
25mins
Ingredients:
11
Serves:
4
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ingredients

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directions

  • In a bowl, rinse quinoa several times with cold water.
  • In a large pot, bring the 2 cups of water to a boil, add the quinoa and simmer for 20 minutes or until all liquid is absorbed.
  • While quinoa is cooking, combine half of the honey, lemongrass, garlic and peppers in a small bowl.
  • Prepare the cranberries by whizzing them in a food processor with the remaining honey and lime juice until the cranberries are mere flecks and the mixture is a beautifully vibrant red.
  • When quinoa has cooked, stir in the lemongrass mixture and the cranberry mixture until combined.
  • Finally, add the mint, cilantro and red onion to the quinoa and mix thoroughly.
  • Set the quinoa salad in a covered bowl in the refrigerator for at least an hour to chill before serving.

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Reviews

  1. Wow!!! All I can say is WOW!!! This was so delicious. I made it with the red quinoa. It turned out kind of a purple color. It would have been prettier if I had used the regular quinoa instead. It still tasted great. Since somebody had told me that you should roast quinoa before cooking it I did.
     
  2. I loved everything about this, the taste, the colour, the nutrition...it looked terrific on a holiday buffet, and the leftovers were perhaps even better the next day.
     
  3. This was very good! I loved the strong lemongrass flavor (I may even add more next time), and the color of this salad is really beautiful. The recipe definitely benefits from a long chilling time; it allows the flavors to develop very nicely. Thanks for sharing this unusual recipe!
     
  4. The other reviewer is right; this is a very creative recipe! This is the most beautifully colored dish I have ever made...very jewel like tones of cranberry red and rich fresh greens. I loved the various flavor accents - the way the tart played with the spicy heat and the minty sweetness - very interesting!!! My husb. described it as a sweet and sour taste, but it was a bit more complex than that. I made this with frozen cranberries (because of the seasonal availability in my local store) but was able to get all the other ingredients fresh. I upped the pepper content just a bit and admit that I stopped paying attention to exact amounts of all the accents as I added them and went more by the color and a few spoon tests. When it was the right contrast of pinkish red and green I stopped, tasted and chilled. I topped it with a few whole berries, but may try nuts as the other reviewer suggested next time. I was quite happy with the result: fresh, light and lovely. This makes a gorgeous looking and special tasting salad.
     
  5. Great recipe! A very creative use of quinoa. The color is a vivid red, sure to add excitement to the table. Even my husband, not the world's biggest cranberry fan, gave it a thumbs-up. I used frozen cranberries--took them straight from the freezer to the food processor, and that worked great. I sprinkled some chopped, toasted pecans on top, too. Fantastic! I'll definitely make this again!
     
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RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

I am a wife and mom of 2 vibrant little boys. They love to create and cook in the kitchen... I love their curiosity and willingness to try new foods and techniques as I introduce them. I love to cook... always have. Thanks to my father for this culinary passion! While I am addicted to collecting cookbooks, my dad taught me to experiment in the kitchen and gave me the gift of knowing that creative cooking doesn't have to come from a book.
 
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