Red Quinoa Salad from Chocolate & Zucchini
Maybe it is because of Summer, or possibly because every Saturday morning I have to don a bathing suit for my son’s swim class, or that I am afraid of frightening small children at the beach…but the time has come to slim down. I am looking into getting a personal trainer for just a month to start me on my way, but my food choices are another elephant in the room.
One recipe that seems worth trying is Clotilde Dusoulier’s Red Quinoa Salad with Bell Peppers and Pine Nuts, or as the French would say, Salade de Quinoa Rouge, Poivrons et Pignons.
She has been finishing up her second book and doesn’t have a lot of time to cook:
I have little time to cook, but I still have to eat, otherwise I die and my publisher is not happy, so my strategy is to prepare big bowls of salads that will make a few meals. I still have deep and sincere feelings for the grated carrot salad with avocado that got me through my last hang-in-there episode last spring, but this quinoa salad is the new teacher’s pet.
Salade de Quinoa Rouge, Poivrons et Pignons
500 ml (2 cups) vegetable stock
190 grams (1 cup) red quinoa, well rinsed and drained
3 medium red bell peppers, roasted (see below)
1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted
A dash olive oil
A dash honey vinegar
A dash hot sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt (I used alderwood smoked salt)
Freshly ground pepper
200 grams (7 ounces) extra-firm smoked tofu, diced (I buy the Tossolia brand at organic stores; you could substitute diced mozzarella or good-quality canned tuna)Serves 3 to 4.
Bring the stock to a simmer, add the quinoa, and cook for 15 minutes, or according to package instructions. Drain and let cool. (Note: I’ve read that quinoa can be cooked in the rice cooker, but I have yet to try that method.)
Peel the roasted peppers, remove the seeds, and cut the flesh into short strips.
In a medium salad bowl, combine the quinoa with the peppers, pine nuts, olive oil, vinegar, hot sauce, salt, and pepper, and toss to combine.
Fold in the tofu and serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate for a day or two.
Roasting your own bell peppers
There are different methods – over an open flame, with a kitchen torch, in a barbecue pit – but I do it in the oven. Choose firm and smooth-skinned bell peppers. Arrange them whole on a baking sheet lined with foil, and bake for 35 to 45 minutes at 200°C (400°F), turning the peppers every 10 minutes or so, until they are very soft and their skin has dark spots and blisters all over.
Remove the baking sheet from the oven and close the foil over the peppers to form an airtight package (use an extra sheet of foil if necessary). Let stand for 15 minutes. Open the package, and wait until the peppers are just cool enough to handle.
Pull out the stems and slice the bell peppers open. Scrape off the seeds and strings of membrane with a knife, and peel off the skin. Let cool and eat as is, add to sandwiches, salads, and pasta sauces, or use in this recipe. Roasted bell peppers will keep for a few days in the fridge; freeze for longer storage
If you can’t find Quinoa at your grocery store try a health food store. You can probably play with some variations as well. Once person commented on possibly using Feta instead of the tofu. The idea is to made sure there is some good protein in there so it is a meal in itself.
1 opinion for Red Quinoa Salad from Chocolate & Zucchini
She Who Loves to Shop
Jul 5, 2007 at 8:32 pm
Is that what quinoa looks like. We bought a tub of salad from the supermarket and it looked so much like tiny fish eggs, that I couldn’t eat it. I know it’s a plant, but I just couldn’t get the thought out of my mind.
But the recipe looks like a good one, especially with the feta cheese, so maybe I will give it a go again!
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