Last night, I finished making a huge salad for Mike and me. Anders had had enough of his high chair so I whipped him out. Obviously, Anders did not want mommy and daddy eating salad because he threw the entire bowl to the floor. Yes, tossed salad…in every corner of the kitchen. I was on the verge of tears probably because I was overtired and maybe because I realized I’d have to do laundry tomorrow. Luckily, Mike came back from his run just in time to whisk Anders away and I was able to clean up and put my mental powers to the test to pull together some cupboard ingredients to make for a yummy (last minute) meal. Since yesterday we had roasted asparagus that’s what led the way for today’s (or last night’s) inspiration. This Roasted Asparagus Quinoa Salad is quite savory. I am in love with the combination of tahini (ground sesame seeds) and smokey, citrus flavor. Enjoy and I hope your salads stay untossed!
Roasted Asparagus Quinoa Salad
1 cup uncooked quinoa
2 stalks celery
½ cup chopped red pepper
¾ cup peas
¼ cup sundried tomatoes
Tahini Dressing
3 Tbsp tahini
2 Tbsp olive oil
3 Tbsp lemon juice
¼ cup tangerine juice
1 tsp oregano
½ tsp garlic
½ tsp salt
½ tsp liquid smoke
pinch of black pepper
Preheat oven to 375. Follow SkinnyFig’sRoasted Asparagus recipe. While your asparagus is cooking, prepare your quinoa as suggested on the package. Typically it is 1 cup quinoa to 2 cups water. For the tahini dressing, simply place all dressing ingredients into a bowl and mix together until smooth. Chop celery, red pepper, and sundried tomatoes. Once the asparagus is finished, remove from the oven and let cool. Chop asparagus into very small pieces. Place cooked quinoa into large bowl. Add chopped asparagus and onion, celery, red pepper, peas, sundried tomatoes, and dressing. You may not need all of the tahini dressing so add as desired. I placed my quinoa on a bed of mixed greens but definitely can be eaten alone.
