Quinoa makes for a filling meal all on its own, but pair it with some roasted carrots and an elegant citrus-cilantro dressing, and you’ve got a healthy, sophisticated option for lunch or dinner.
(For tips on cooking quinoa, check out our how-to post.)
This recipe comes to us from Jackie Pomeroy, who used as her inspiration a recipe from My Kitchen Rules.
Quinoa Salad with Roasted Baby Carrots
- Preparation time: 30 mins
- Cooking time: 40 mins
- Serves: 4
Cilantro Dressing
- 2 eschallots, chopped, or ¼ large red onion
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tsp ground cumin (or 2 tsp cumin seeds)
- 9 oz Greek style yoghurt, strained
- ½ tsp chili flakes
- 1 cup chopped mint
- 1 cup chopped cilantro
Quinoa, Carrot and Cumin Salad
- 12 baby carrots, trimmed
- 14 oz can chickpeas, drained
- 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbs lemon juice
- 1 cup quinoa
- 1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
- Bring stock to a boil. Add quinoa. Cover and simmer until tender. Drain. Cool.
- Place carrots and chickpeas on separate oven trays. Drizzle with oil and season with salt & pepper. Roast for 20 minutes or until carrots are barely tender.
- To make dressing, process eschallots (or grate them on a hand grater) and juice to form a smooth paste. Transfer to a bowl.
- Toast ground cumin (or cumin seeds) in a small frying pan until fragrant. Add ground cumin to eschallot mixture with yogurt, chili, mint, and cilantro. Stir to combine.
- Combine roasted carrots & chickpeas, quinoa, and all remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Add dressing. Toss to combine.
This recipe, while a bit more involved than others, is wonderful for its complex mix of flavors (and, of course, you can always prepare quinoa in advance, cutting down prep time). Give it a try and let us know what you think!
