This spring quinoa recipe is tremendous recent and satisfying! Filled with tender herbs and inexperienced veggies, it is an ideal gentle dinner or make-ahead lunch.
This put up is in partnership with Lundberg Household Farms.
After I wish to make a easy, but satisfying, dinner or lunch, quinoa is without doubt one of the first components I flip to. I all the time have a bag of Lundberg’s natural quinoa available – it cooks rapidly, it’s wealthy in vitamins like fiber and protein, and it’s tremendous versatile, too. At this level, I’ve used it in smoky veggie burgers, hearty stews, and salads galore. All that, and I’m nonetheless discovering new methods to make use of it!
This spring quinoa dish was one in every of my more moderen experiments, and we appreciated it a lot that I knew I needed to share the recipe. I first made it one evening after I had a bunch of asparagus and varied recent herbs within the fridge. I didn’t have a precise plan for find out how to use them, however I cooked a batch of my trusty quinoa and ended up with this. Topped with a creamy herbed dressing and poppy pickled onions, it’s precisely the kind of recent fare I crave within the spring. Nevertheless it’s additionally a lot hearty. There’s the quinoa, after all…and a enjoyable, social media-inspired topping: grated hard-boiled egg!
In the event you’re skeptical, I get it. I used to be too! I watched folks grate hard-boiled eggs on TikTok and Instagram for months earlier than I lastly tried it for myself. However I’ve to say, I’m into it! On this salad, I like how the fragile crumbles of egg mingle with the opposite components with out overwhelming them. They’re kind of like a sprinkle of feta cheese (which, by the way in which, could be nice right here too) – they add richness and a lift of protein, however they nonetheless let the spring produce shine. Belief me, it’s value a strive!
Spring Quinoa Recipe Components
Need to go for it? Right here’s what you’ll have to make this recipe:
- Quinoa, after all! I’m an enormous enjoyable of Lundberg Household Farm’s Vintage White Quinoa as a result of I do know it’s produced sustainably. It’s licensed natural and non-GMO, however that’s simply the beginning! Lundberg works to construct soil well being by practices like crop rotation on its farms. It additionally conserves water and maintains habitat for a whole bunch of species. Plus, in its on-site nursery, Lundberg research, selects, and crosses seed to provide the best-tasting grains it may. How cool is that?
- Recent spring veggies – I exploit blanched asparagus and peas.
- Recent herbs – You’ll toss some into the salad and mix extra into the dressing. Nearly any gentle herb works nicely right here. Use a mixture of parsley, cilantro, dill, tarragon, mint, chives, and/or basil.
- Lemon juice and zest – For shiny, recent taste.
- Additional-virgin olive oil – For moisture and richness.
- Pickled crimson onions – They add candy, tangy taste to this hearty quinoa salad.
- The creamy inexperienced goddess dressing – It’s a easy mix of Greek yogurt, tahini, extra lemon juice, garlic, and herbs.
- A tough-boiled egg – For grating on high.
- And salt and pepper – To make all of the flavors pop!
Discover the entire recipe with measurements beneath.
Whereas the quinoa cooks, blitz collectively the dressing in a meals processor.
So creamy!
Then, combine collectively the salad. Place the quinoa, spring veggies, pickled onions, and lemon zest in a big bowl, and toss to mix.
Add the olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper, and toss once more.
Lastly, switch the salad to a serving platter and high it with drizzles of the dressing, extra recent herbs, and the grated hard-boiled egg. Season to style, and dig in!
Variations
I like this recipe as written, however, after all, you possibly can be at liberty to alter it up! Like most salads, it’s pretty adaptable. Listed here are a number of variations that I believe could be nice:
- Add feta cheese. Grated egg not your factor? Sprinkle feta on as an alternative. Torn recent mozzarella could be yummy right here too.
- Swap the dressing. My inexperienced tahini or avocado dressing could be an ideal sub for the creamy inexperienced goddess.
- Toss in additional veggies. Tender lettuces, blanched snap peas, or shaved radishes could be scrumptious!
- Throw in a handful of chickpeas. Roasted or common!
- Tri-Colour Quinoa. Lundberg additionally carries a Tri-Colour Quinoa mix (which is a mix of white, crimson and black quinoa). It’s barely extra savory and nutty than the Vintage White, however would nonetheless work nice on this salad!
Let me know what variations you strive!
Serving Recommendations
This spring quinoa is a stunning gentle dinner or meal prep lunch. It retains nicely within the fridge for as much as 3 days. In the event you make it forward, retailer the creamy inexperienced goddess dressing individually. The dish is greatest while you drizzle it on proper earlier than you eat.
Benefit from the quinoa by itself, or pair it with a aspect dish for a bigger meal. I like to serve it with pita and hummus, labneh, or white bean dip or a veggie aspect dish like roasted carrots or steamed artichokes. Yum!
Extra Favourite Spring Recipes
In the event you love this spring quinoa, strive one in every of these recent spring recipes subsequent:
Spring Quinoa with Asparagus, Peas & Pickled Onion
Serves 4 to six
This spring quinoa recipe is a stunning gentle dinner or meal prep lunch! In the event you make it forward, retailer the creamy dressing individually. This dish is greatest while you drizzle the dressing on proper earlier than you eat.
- ¾ cup raw Lundberg Farms Natural Vintage White Quinoa
- 1⅓ cups water
- 1 bunch asparagus, powerful ends trimmed
- 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
- ½ cup pickled crimson onions
- ¼ cup chopped recent parsley and/or chives
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 2 tablespoons recent lemon juice
- 1½ tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- ¾ teaspoon sea salt, plus extra to style
- 1 arduous boiled egg, grated
- Mint and/or basil, for garnish
- Freshly floor black pepper
Creamy inexperienced goddess dressing
- ½ cup entire milk Greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons recent lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons tahini
- 1 garlic clove
- ½ cup recent parsley or cilantro
- 2 tablespoons recent dill or tarragon
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
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Rinse the quinoa and mix it with the water in a medium pot. Carry to a boil, cowl, scale back the warmth, and simmer for quarter-hour. Take away from the warmth and let sit, lined, for 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork and put aside to chill.
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Carry a big pot of salted water to a boil and set a bowl of ice water close by. Chop the asparagus into small items and drop them into the boiling water for 1 minute. Drain, switch to the ice water, and chill for 1 minute. Drain and pat dry.
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Make the dressing: In a meals processor, mix the yogurt, lemon juice, tahini, garlic, recent herbs, and salt. Pulse to mix. The dressing needs to be creamy and spoon-able. If it’s too thick, add 1 to three tablespoons of water and pulse once more.
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In a big bowl, mix the quinoa, asparagus, peas, pickled onions, chopped herbs, and lemon zest and toss to mix. Add the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and a number of other grinds of pepper and toss once more. Season to style and switch to a serving platter. Drizzle with the creamy inexperienced goddess dressing, then high with the grated egg and recent herbs.
This put up is in partnership with Lundberg Household Farms.
