Quinoa Salad With Avocado and Dried Cranberries

Submitted by Abby Girl

"Perfect salad to serve with grilled chicken or pork. This is an excellent buffet salad that will hold for about an hour"

 

• Ready In: 35mins
• Ingredients: 15
• Serves: 6-8

ingredients

• Dressing

• 1 lemon, juice and zest finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1⁄2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1⁄2 teaspoon cumin
• 1⁄2 teaspoon paprika
• salt
• fresh ground pepper

• Salad

• 1 cup quinoa, rinsed well
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups cold water
• 1 cup dried cranberries
• 1⁄4 cup apricot, finely diced
• 2 avocados
• 2 green onions, sliced diagonally
• 1⁄4 cup almonds, toasted (slivered or sliced)

directions

1. Dressing: In a bowl, whisk together lemon zest, lemon juice, oil, coriander, cumin and paprika. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

2. Salad:

3. In a saucepan, combine quinoa, salt and cold water; bring to a boil over medium high heat. Stir, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes or until water is absorbed and quinoa is tender. Fluff with a fork, spread on a large baking sheet and let cool completely.
4. Place cranberries and apricots in a small bowl. Cover with warm water and let stand for about 5 minutes or until plump. Drain and set aside.
5. Just before serving, peel avocados and cut into bite size chunks. Place in a bowl and toss with dressing to prevent discoloration. Add cooled quinoa, cranberry mixture, green onions and almonds.
6. Make ahead: The dressing can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 day. The quinoa can be cooked up to 1 day in advance; after cooling, add the green onions and cranberry mixture, chill. Toss with the avocados just before serving.