Zesty Confetti Salad With Quinoa

Submitted by MN_SpiceHunter

"A blend of veggies and quinoa pulled together with a tangy, slightly spicy citrus-pepita dressing. Though there are a lot of ingredients, it's easy to make."

 

• Ready In: 55mins
• Ingredients: 17
• Serves: 5-7

ingredients

• 1⁄2 cup quinoa
• 1 1⁄2 cups broccoli, chopped
• 1 cup carrot, chopped or shredded
• 1 cup red cabbage, shredded
• 1 1⁄2 cups jicama, chopped
• 1 large red bell pepper, chopped
• 3⁄4 cup scallion, sliced thin
• 1 cup cauliflower, chopped
• 1 tablespoon black sesame seed
• 1⁄2 cup pepitas (raw shelled pumpkin seeds)
• 1 cup fresh cilantro
• 3 tablespoons lime juice
• 5 tablespoons orange juice concentrate
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt

directions

1. Rinse quinoa well. Combine with 3/4 cup water in small saucepan. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 15-20 minutes or until water is absorbed and holes have formed in surface of quinoa. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature or cooler.
2. Dry toast pepitas by putting them in a large skillet or frying pan and shaking over high heat until they begin to pop and "dance". Remove from heat.
3. In food processor, combine pepitas, cilantro, lime juice, orange juice concentrate, olive oil, chili powder, cumin and salt. Blitz until a rough paste forms. (It looks a little funny at this stage--don't worry!).
4. In a very large bowl, combine veggies, quinoa and sesame seeds and toss. Add citrus-pepita dressing and mix well to coat. Chill at least one hour; overnight is ideal.

Reviews

[Mindelicious]

Somehow I randomly had all the ingredients on hand for this recipe. This was a lovely change of pace from the normal dinner salad and would be great for a potluck or picnic. I didn't think the sauce would be enough but it was plenty & it really clung to all the veggies which was critical. Great recipe - thanks MN_Spicehunter!!!

 

[cookalot 2]

Great recipe!!! Followed exactly the first time I made it. The second time I didn't have a lot of the ingredients, but I did have what I needed for the dressing, and then used peas, corn, carrot, and really missed the peppers I didn't have. It was still very good!! So a very versatile salad! Thanks for posting, we will enjoy it for years to come.

 

[Ducky]

I had to make this for a gathering and everyone loved it. I made a triple recipe (and had to find a big aluminum roasting pan to mix it in!). I didn't triple the cilantro and it seemed to be okay. I cut the broccoli & cauliflower into small florets instead of chopping. No time for the jicama so that got left out. The dressing was more liquidy than a paste but was okay on the salad. I did find the cumin to be overpowering so next time I will go lighter on that.

 

[free-free]

WOW...really good...very easy once you actually get the ingredients together I know you could easily make subs and leave some out... more of this and less of that type of thing, but I had it in my head to do it just right at least once :)...I had a hard time having everything in the house all at the same time because I store a lot of greens to do juicing and green smoothies daily and have to use a cooler because no room in the fridge...when it came down to making it I forgot the scallions of all things {{lol}} so used red onion {{OH WELL}}..I also added some hot pepper to give it extra ZEST and because I have a garden full of them and they are going into EVERYTHANG!!! Great salad, really different and special...(little bit $$$ to make 'cause of all the stuff BUT worth it as a treat!!!) Hey I LOVE That sauce that will be a new go-to idea for a lot of future dishes for a dressing...- made for "I Recommend TAG" and I also recommend it- thanks MN_SpiceHunter :) Great recipe!!!!

 

[Chef Jean]

The dressing was great, but I couldn't find pumpkin seeds so I used sunflower instead. I love quinoa and this was another great way to serve it.