Quinoa Asparagus Salad

A colorful salad packed with seeds, zesty lemon, and tarragon

Ingredients:

For the Salad

1 cup uncooked quinoa

1 1/2 cups of water

salt

1 pound asparagus, ends trimmed

1 tbsp olive oil

6 radishes, chopped

2 tbsp toasted pumpkin seeds

2 tbsp chopped chives or scallions

2 tsp chopped fresh tarragon


For the Dressing

zest of 1 lemon

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 small garlic clove, grated or minced

1 tablespoon olive oil

salt to taste

freshly ground black pepper

1 ounce (about 1/4 cup) feta cheese, crumbled

Ingredients:

For the Salad

1 cup uncooked quinoa

1 1/2 cups of water

salt

1 pound asparagus, ends trimmed

1 tbsp olive oil

6 radishes, chopped

2 tbsp toasted pumpkin seeds

2 tbsp chopped chives or scallions

2 tsp chopped fresh tarragon


For the Dressing

zest of 1 lemon

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 small garlic clove, grated or minced

1 tablespoon olive oil

salt to taste

freshly ground black pepper

1 ounce (about 1/4 cup) feta cheese, crumbled

Directions:

Place the quinoa in a fine mesh strainer and rinse several times with cold water. Place in a medium saucepan with 1 1/2 cups water and salt to taste.

Bring to a boil, cover and simmer 15 minutes, until the grains display a threadlike spiral and the water is absorbed. Remove from the heat, let sit for at least 10 minutes undisturbed. Transfer to a bowl and fluff with a fork.

Sauté the asparagus in 1 tablespoon olive oil until just tender.

Cool, then cut into 1-inch pieces. Add to the quinoa, along with the radishes, pumpkin seeds, chives, and tarragon.

Whisk together the lemon zest and juice, garlic, olive oil, salt, and pepper.

Shortly before serving, toss with the quinoa and asparagus mixture.

Sprinkle the feta over the top and serve.

Note
For this salad, we cooked 1 cup quinoa in 1 1/2 cups water to get a slightly drier, tighter grain.

Sourced from The New York Times