Orange Quinoa Salad

Orange Quinoa Salad
From Cooking Light

With protein-rich quinoa, dried fruit, and almonds, this salad is a good snack before or after exercise and a nice side dish with grilled pork. Or increase the serving size to 3/4 cup and add feta cheese or shredded rotisserie chicken to make it a main dish.



Dressing:
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons low-fat buttermilk
2 teaspoons honey (agave nectar)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Salad:
1 1/3 cups uncooked quinoa
2 3/4 cups water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup thinly sliced green onions
1 cup sweetened dried cranberries (I would use unsweetened homemade)
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
3 tablespoons sliced almonds, toasted

To prepare dressing, combine first 6 ingredients in a small bowl; stir with a whisk until well blended.

To prepare salad, place quinoa in a large nonstick skillet; cook 4 minutes over medium heat, stirring frequently. Place quinoa in a fine sieve; 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.

Combine quinoa, 2 3/4 cups water, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a large saucepan; bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat; simmer 20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat, and cool to room temperature. Stir in dressing, onions, and the remaining ingredients. Cover and chill.


Yield: 10 servings (serving size: about 1/2 cup)

NUTRITION PER SERVING
CALORIES 170(28% from fat); FAT 5.2g (sat 0.6g,mono 3.1g,poly 1.1g); PROTEIN 3.5g; CHOLESTEROL 0.0mg; CALCIUM 34mg; SODIUM 245mg; FIBER 2.7g; IRON 2.4mg; CARBOHYDRATE 28.8g

Maureen Callahan
Cooking Light, JULY 2006