Monday, December 31, 2012

Quinoa Salad with Sweet and Spicy Citrus Vinaigrette

Extra garbanzo beans led me to putting this salad together.

Ingredients:

Salad:
1 cup dry quinoa prepared and cooled (Rinse the quinoa, toast with some olive oil in the pan before adding 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until water is absorbed)
1 cup garbanzo beans (rinsed if using canned)
1/2 yellow bell pepper, diced (seeds removed)
1/2 red bell pepper, diced (seeds removed)
1/2 poblano pepper, diced (seeds removed)
4 radishes, thinly sliced and halved
1/3 small red onion, diced
1 large carrot or 8-10 baby carrots thinly sliced

Place all ingredients in a large bowl, top with vinaigrette and toss. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately or refrigerate for a few hours or overnight to allow the flavors to combine.

Sweet and Spicy Citrus Vinaigrette:
Juice of one lime
Juice of one tangerine/orange
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons honey
1/4-1/3 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons sriracha sauce
1- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Place all ingredients in a small jar and shake for about one minute.




Roasted Garlic Hummus

I prepared dried garbanzo beans to use. I put a couple of cups of dry beans in water to soak over night and then cooked them for about 1-1.5 hours, until they were tender. The result was more than the 3 cups I used in the recipe, I used the rest for a Quinoa Salad. Some recipes I saw called for using canned beans (which I have used and are great) as well as using their liquid instead of water. To each their own, but I wouldn't suggest using the liquid. The sodium content is super high and I'm sure there are plenty of additives in the liquid that shouldn't be there. I always rinse canned beans as well. This recipe yielded about 30 ounces.

Ingredients:
3 cups garbanzo beans
5 cloves roasted garlic (leave the skins on while roasting- 300/350 degrees for 15-20 minutes)
2 tablespoons tahini
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup olive oil
1-2 teaspoons of salt (to taste- it depends if dry or canned garbanzo beans are used)
2-4 teaspoons sriracha sauce (to taste)
1/2-1 cup water

Directions:
Place all ingredients (except for all of the water) in a blender or food processor. Blend until really smooth, adding the water during the process until the desired consistency is reached. Serve with pita, veggies or whatever you like to eat hummus with.