Quinoa Spinach Salad with Feta, Pomegranate and Toasted Almonds

It's no secret to my friends or to regular readers of this blog that I consider quinoa to be an absolutely essential staple grain in anyone's kitchen and diet. As simple to cook and as versatile an ingredient as ordinary white rice, quinoa's light and fluffy texture and a delicately sweet and nutty taste make it a treat on any plate even on its own. But it's an almost perfect balance of essential amino acids and proteins — rare in the plant kingdom — that make quinoa such an important food, especially for vegetarians. You just can't lose.

So it was a no-brainer for me to pick up Patricia Green and Carolyn Hemming's wonderful new quinoa cookbook, Quinoa 365: The Everyday Superfoodthe other day. And it was not a disappointment! Filled with beautiful colour photographs and a wide selection of easy-to-follow recipes for all sorts of dishes and occasions, this book is a perfect introduction to those who have never tried quinoa before, and will provide plenty of inspiration to those who have long enjoyed this amazing grain.

This simple but colourful and delicious salad is adapted from Quinoa 365and can serve as a side salad or as a light lunch or supper on its own. An appetizing and healthy light lunch for me today, I'm also posting this as a friendly reminder that I'm taking quinoa recipes until November 20th for this month's No Croutons Required food blogging event. Anyone with a favourite quinoa recipe is invited to submit it to me following the instructions posted here. Bon appetit!

This also goes to Jayasri who is asking for recipes featuring pomegranate seeds. Thanks to Priya for staring this event.

Quinoa Spinach Salad with Feta, Pomegranate and Toasted Almonds

Salad:

1/2 cup quinoa
1/2 cup almonds
1/2 lb. baby spinach
1 red onion, sliced
1 cup sheep feta, crumbled
1 pomegranate, seeded

Dressing:

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
fresh ground black pepper to taste

Rinse and scrub the quinoa under cold running water. Place in a small saucepan, cover with 1 cup of fresh cold water, and leave to soak overnight. The following day, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes or until the water is absorbed. Remove from heat, fluff with a fork, and set aside to cool.

Preheat an oven to 350°. Slice the almonds and spread with the flesh side up over a baking sheet. Toast in the oven for 5 minutes or until the almonds are lightly browned and fragrant. Remove from heat and set aside to cool for a few minutes.

Distribute the spinach over 4 to 8 dinner plates depending on the desired serving size. Scatter the onion, feta, almonds and pomegranate seeds over top each plate. In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients and drizzle over the salad servings. Serve right away.

Other quinoa salad recipes you may enjoy:
Quinoa and White Bean Salad with Wasabi and Roasted Asparagus
Roasted Beet Salad with Quinoa, Chickpeas and Miso and Tahini
Chickpea and Quinoa Salad with Lemon and Tahini

On the top of the reading stack: Silk Road Cooking: A Vegetarian Journey by Najmieh Batmanglij.

Audio Accompaniment: Carbon based life forms.