Quinoa Salad with Roasted Broccoli and Halloumi Cheese
I literally dreamed up this recipe. There I was, minding my own business and enjoying my third REM cycle when dancing grains of quinoa appeared before my eyes adorned with sun dried tomatoes and roasted broccoli. Ok, maybe it didn't go down quite like that but I definitely woke up with a vision of this salad in my head. Quinoa has slowly made its way into my diet after much experimenting and perfecting how to get rid of that unpleasant bitterness that always seemed to accompany it. Rinsing it vigorously under running water for no less than 2 minutes is the trick and since this discovery I am apparently happily dreaming of quinoa recipes. Of course, in honor of Shavuot there had to be some dairy involved and halloumi cheese, a Greek cheese with a high melting point allowing it to be fried or grilled without running all over the place, was where I went. If you don't want to use cheese, tofu or chicken breast can be substituted. This salad is filling enough to call it a meal but light enough that it won't weigh you down and oh, did I mention that it's yummy? Enjoy!
1 1/4 cups quinoa
2 1/2 cups stock or water
1 head broccoli, broken into florets
3 Tbl oil, divided
8 sundried tomatoes, thinly sliced
2 Tbl pine nuts, toasted
300 grams (about 10oz) Halloumi or Tofu, cubed
For the dressing/marinade:
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup mustard
3 Tbl soy sauce
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/4 cup oil
pinch of black pepper
Whisk all the dressing ingredients together.
Marinate the halloumi in half of the dressing mixture for at least half an hour. Set the other half aside.
Place the broccoli on a roasting pan. Drizzle with one Tbl oil, season with salt and pepper and roast at 350 until brown around the edges and slightly crispy-about half an hour.
Rinse the quinoa very well in a fine mesh strainer. This will remove the bitter taste. Add to a pot with the stock and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, cover and let it cook for about 15 minutes. Close flame and keep the pot covered for an additional 5 minutes. Remove cover and fluff the quinoa with a fork.
Once halloumi has marinated, grill or pan fry it in the remaining oil until brown on all sides.
To assemble: Gently mix the quinoa with the roasted broccoli, tomatoes, pine nuts, halloumi and the remaining dressing. Serve room temperature.
1 1/4 cups quinoa
2 1/2 cups stock or water
1 head broccoli, broken into florets
3 Tbl oil, divided
8 sundried tomatoes, thinly sliced
2 Tbl pine nuts, toasted
300 grams (about 10oz) Halloumi or Tofu, cubed
For the dressing/marinade:
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup mustard
3 Tbl soy sauce
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/4 cup oil
pinch of black pepper
Whisk all the dressing ingredients together.
Marinate the halloumi in half of the dressing mixture for at least half an hour. Set the other half aside.
Place the broccoli on a roasting pan. Drizzle with one Tbl oil, season with salt and pepper and roast at 350 until brown around the edges and slightly crispy-about half an hour.
Rinse the quinoa very well in a fine mesh strainer. This will remove the bitter taste. Add to a pot with the stock and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, cover and let it cook for about 15 minutes. Close flame and keep the pot covered for an additional 5 minutes. Remove cover and fluff the quinoa with a fork.
Once halloumi has marinated, grill or pan fry it in the remaining oil until brown on all sides.
To assemble: Gently mix the quinoa with the roasted broccoli, tomatoes, pine nuts, halloumi and the remaining dressing. Serve room temperature.
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