This is a bright and wholesome salad. After all the heavy sweet foods from Thanksgiving to New Years this salad has depth that nourishes, fresh crunch for complexity, citrus brightness and a bit of heat to wake up sleepy palates and heavy digestive system.
I had a friend in college who taught me to call out the sun. Each year as the winter blues set in he would start to play Reggae music. Bob Marley was his favorite prayer for sunshine. These days I have my own ritual to call the sun: Oranges, limes, grapefruits, lemons. I’m eating orange-fennel salad, lemon pistachio granola, lime edamame salad, and this quinoa salad. Citrus becomes a way to hold onto light until The Wailers can play us back into the sunshine.
Notes
Note about Rinsing your Quinoa
Quinoa is a pain the the butt to rinse. The little pseudo-grains go everywhere. That said, rinsing it is the only way to prepare quinoa without it tasting bitter/awful. I have found that the easiest way to rinse quinoa is to use a 1.5 quart pot or large bowl and to fill the bowl with water, rinse the quinoa until it settles to the bottom, then strain as much water out as you can, using a fine mesh sieve, so that you lose as few grains as possible. And repeat several times.
Key Ingredients
Quinoa
small tomatoes
red onion
frozen roasted corn
cilantro
cumin seeds
extra virgin olive oil
limes
honey
veggie or chicken stock
Quinoa Sunshine Salad – Recipe
Serves about 5-6 as a main and 10-12 as a side. Special equipment: none. Adapted from the back of a Trader Joe’s Quinoa bag from about 8 years ago.
Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa, rinsed well
- 2 cups store bought stock (veggie or chicken) or 1 cup homemade stock plus 1 cup water
- 9 ounces (1 pint) good small tomatoes
- ½ medium red onion
- 2 cups frozen roasted corn (or fresh!)
- 1 bunch cilantro, washed
- 1.5 teaspoons whole cumin seeds
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 limes (zest of 1, juice from 2)
- Red pepper flakes (optional)
- 1 teaspoon Diamond kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1-2 avocados or about 4 ounces cotija or feta cheese (optional)
- Extra salt for finishing
Step One
Cook your rinsed quinoa in a 1.5 quart pot by bringing quinoa and stock to boil over high heat, reducing heat to simmer and covering pot. Cook Quinoa for 15 minutes or until stock is absorbed and the quinoa is fluffy and their tails have come out. Once cooked, set quinoa aside in a very large bowl.
Step Two
While quinoa cooks, cook 2 cups of frozen corn according to package directions, either in microwave or in a separate pot. (I usually cook the quinoa first and then cook the corn in the same pot). Once cooked, strain the corn and rinse under cool water to cool. Once Quinoa and corn are cooked, add them to a large bowl and set aside to cool while you prep your other ingredients.
Step Three
Toast your cumin: coarsely crush your cumin seeds with the flat side of your knife or with a mortar and pestle. Then toast crushed cumin seeds in a dry pan over medium heat stirring constantly until the seeds become fragrant (about 1 minute). Add seeds to a 1 cup measuring cup. Pour in 1/3 cup olive oil, a few red pepper flakes, and then the juice of 2 limes, 1 tablespoon honey, and a teaspoon of Diamond Kosher salt. Use a fork to whisk to combine. Set aside.
Step Four
Halve or quarter your tomatoes and add them to your quinoa and corn bowl. Chop your cilantro leaves and stems and add them to the bowl with the tomatoes. Finally chop your onion and add to the bowl as well. Zest lime over the tomatoes, cilantro and onion Toss ingredients together to mix. Then re-whisk your lime dressing, toss over and mix again. Before serving, sprinkle extra salt over top and add avocado and/or cheese if desired.
Store covered in the fridge and add avocado or cheese just before serving. Keeps well in the fridge for 3-5 days.