SRC: Quinoa Salad with Dried Fruit and Nuts

Posted on October 29, 2012 by Kelley

It’s been a couple of months since my last Secret Recipe Club post.  I was busy having a baby though, so I think that is a pretty good excuse!  My little man turned two months old over the weekend, so I finally have a little bit of a routine down, which means I’m back to blogging.

My SRC blog assignment this month is K&K Test Kitchen.  It’s a mother/daughter collaboration between mom Kim and daughter Kelsey.  How cute is that?!  Such a nice thing for them to share, being that they’re living quite a distance apart these days.

I am currently in a clean-out-my-pantry phase, and happened to have a small amount of quinoa in there.  I hate throwing things away, so I will scour the Internet and my cookbooks in search of ways to use everything up. This was the perfect recipe, as I happen to have everything on hand! This is a nice salad for these upcoming winter months when there isn’t a lot of fresh produce in season, as it uses dried fruit.  Enjoy!

Quinoa Salad with Dried Fruit and Nuts, adapted from K&K Test Kitchen

3 Tbs cranberries
2 Tbs dried apricots, thinly sliced
1 cup red or white quinoa, rinsed well
Kosher salt
1 large lemon
3 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp paprika
2 medium firm-ripe avocados (6 to 7 oz. each), pitted, peeled, and cut into 1/2-inch chunks
2 medium scallions, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced
2 to 3 Tbs sliced, toasted almonds
In a 2-quart saucepan, bring 2 cups water, the quinoa, and 1/2 tsp. salt to a boil over high heat. Cover, reduce the heat to medium low, and simmer until the water is absorbed and the quinoa is translucent and tender, 10 to 15 minutes. (The outer germ rings of the grain will remain chewy and white. Some germ rings may separate from the grain and will look like white squiggles.) Immediately fluff the quinoa with a fork and turn it out onto a baking sheet to cool to room temperature.
Finely grate the zest from the lemon and then squeeze 1 Tbs juice. In a small bowl, whisk the lemon zest and juice with the olive oil, coriander, cumin, paprika, and 1/4 tsp. salt.
In a large bowl, toss the vinaigrette with the quinoa, cranberries, apricots, avocado, scallions, and almonds. Serves 4.



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8 Responses to SRC: Quinoa Salad with Dried Fruit and Nuts

  1. shari@myjudythefoodie says:
    October 29, 2012 at 4:41 pm

    we LOVE Quinoa and will definitely make this. Great SRC choice….. fellow GRoup D SRC Member

  2. Bakingaddict says:
    October 29, 2012 at 7:15 pm

    Congratulations on your baby – he is absolutely adorable!! This salad looks healthy and delicious. Great SRC pick!

  3. Fran@fransfavs.com says:
    October 29, 2012 at 7:37 pm

    Mmmm…love all the ingredients in this salad! Methinks I’ll be making it quite soon. Congrats on your darling baby boy–he’s a real cutie!

  4. April @ Angel's Homestead says:
    October 29, 2012 at 9:38 pm

    Awww What a cutie! Congrats on your new baby. I’m like you and hate wasting anything, so I like how you used your assignment to use up what you already had on hand. That’s one of the first things I do when I check out my assignment for the month, look for recipes that will use what I already have in my pantry. Your salad looks great.

  5. Christine says:
    October 29, 2012 at 10:34 pm

    Yummy! I love how this quinoa takes on a sweeter and spicier twist!

    Your son is so freakin’ ADORABLE! That smile has my heart melted in a puddle on the floor… Congratulations!

  6. Asiya @ Chocolate and Chillies says:
    October 30, 2012 at 10:02 pm

    Congratulations! Your little boy is adorable!

    Quinoa looks great..great SRC pick!

  7. HungryLittleGirl says:
    October 31, 2012 at 4:39 pm

    This looks so so delicious!
    I would love to have you share this (or any other of your recipes) at Wednesday Extravaganza – my Foodie Link Party, and maybe claim a spot with a lifetime feature on my Wall of Fame. Here is the link:
    http://www.hungrylittlegirl.com/1/post/2012/10/october-31st-2012.html

    Can’t wait to see you there!

  8. Kitchen Ninja says:
    November 1, 2012 at 2:00 pm

    What a cute boy! And thanks for another idea for using quinoa.

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