Joanne Weir’s Red Quinoa Salad with Grapefruit, Dried Figs and Toasted Walnuts
Recipe by Joanne Weir, James Beard Award winning chef, author and TV personality
INGREDIENTS
- 1 ½ cups Village Harvest red quinoa
- 2 ¼ cups water
- Kosher salt
- 2 grapefruit, washed
- ½ cup dried figs, thinly sliced
- 1 cup walnut halves, toasted
- ¼ cup thinly sliced green onions
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
- ½ teaspoon finely grated grapefruit zest
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon finely grated ginger
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat an oven to 375F.
For the dressing, place the grapefruit zest in a small bowl. Add the vinegar, olive oil and ginger. Set aside.
Place the quinoa in a saucepan over medium high heat, shaking the pan constantly, to toast the quinoa, 4 minutes. Immediately add 2 ¼ cups water and ¾ teaspoon salt. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer until all of the moisture is absorbed and the quinoa is cooked, 15 to 18 minutes. Check the bottom of the pan periodically to see that the quinoa doesn’t burn. Remove the quinoa from the pan and place on a baking sheet. Spread the quinoa on the baking sheet and let cool.
Using a sharp knife, cut the tops and bottoms off the grapefruit to reveal the colored flesh. Place one of the cut side downs down on a work surface. Using a small sharp knife, cut off the peel and white pith from top to bottom. Turn the fruit to the opposite cut side and remove any white pith. Cut the grapefruit into sections, cutting between the membrane. Place the sections in a large salad bowl and set aside. With the center of the remaining grapefruit, squeeze 2 tablespoons of the juice adding it to the bowl with the dressing. Season the dressing with salt.
In the large bowl containing the grapefruit sections, add the figs, walnuts, green onions, quinoa and parsley. Add the dressing and toss together.
