This dish is probably the most requested and made dish in my household. My husband adores it and asks me to make it frequently. I call it the kitchen sink quinoa salad because I generally tend to empty out my fridge and use up whatever is in there, in the dish and it always turns out great. This is one of those make ahead dishes which can be eaten all week as a side dish with, say a tasty frittata (Broccoli, Goat Cheese and Caramelized Shallot Frittata) or a great addition to a brunch or picnic.

It is a wonderful small gathering potluck dish too.

I don’t eat a lot of grains but quinoa which technically is a pseudo- grain or seed, is one of my go-to’s. It is high in protein, 8 grams for a 1 cup serving and high in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, two flavonoids known as quercitin and kaempferol which have shown in studies to be anti-viral, anti-cancerous and anti-inflammatory. It also has 58% of the recommended daily allowance of manganese and 30% of the RDA for magnesium. It is hearty, healthy and delicious. Quinoa originates from the Andean Region of South America and has been cultivated for over 5000 years. I love making quinoa fritters, quinoa breakfast bowls and porridge but this dish, filled with roasted and fresh seasonal vegetables plus a little sweet from pomegranate seeds or currants and then topped with a simple lemony dijon vinaigrette, takes quinoa to the next level. I love how the beets turn the quinoa a fuchsia hue. Have fun with yours.

P.S. Save all your beet greens and sauté them with some fresh garlic, olive and salt, chop them up and use them as a garnish for the quinoa.

Makes 8-10 servings

Gather

1 cup/ 128 grams quinoa, rinsed well

1 3/4 cup/ 414 ml water

1 bunch small yellow beets (about 5), washed and cut in half

1 bunch small red beets (about 5), washed and cut in half

1 bunch heirloom carrots (about 6), cut into quarters, lengthwise

4 tablespoons/ 59.15 ml olive oil

3 pinches of salt

fresh cracked pepper

5 scallions, white parts and first 2 inches of the green parts, roughly chopped

1 cup/ 128 grams currants or pomegranate seeds when available 

2 poblano chilis

6 radishes, cut into 1/4-inch cubes

1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and cut into 1/4-inch cubes

3/4 cup/ 96 grams toasted pine nuts

1/2 cup/ 64 grams fresh mint, roughly chopped

1/2 cup/ 64 grams flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped

1/3 cup/ 43 grams shelled hemp seeds

For the Vinaigrette

3 garlic cloves, finely minced

1 teaspoon/ 5.69 grams salt

1/4 cup/ 59 grams Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon/ 2.84 grams cumin powder

1/3 cup/ 78 ml lemon juice

Zest of 1 lemon

1/3 cup/ 78 ml olive oil

Freshly cracked pepper to taste

Make

Preheat the oven to 375.

Place the quinoa and water in a medium pot and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and cover and cook for 15 minutes until all the water has been absorbed. Do not stir while it is cooking. Remove from heat and transfer into a large bowl to cool.

Place the beets and carrots, separately onto two small baking sheets.

Pour 2 tablespoons of the oil over each of the sheets, sprinkle a dash of salt and a few turns of freshly cracked pepper. Using your hands to massage the oil into the veggies. 

Place the sheet pans into the oven on the middle and bottom racks and bake for 30 minutes. At the 15 minute mark, switch the trays and stir the veggies well.

Remove from the oven and let cool.

While the veggies are baking roast the poblano chilis. Turn on a burner on high and using tongs sit both of the poblano chilis sitting on the burner. Turn the chilis with the tongs every few minutes once the skin is blackened. Continue rotating over the flame until both chilis are blackened.

Remove from the heat and place the chilis into a medium bowl and cover with a plate for 15 minutes.

Make your vinaigrette.

Mash the garlic in a bowl with a fork. Add the salt and continue mashing until you have paste. Add the Dijon mustard and continue stirring. Then add the cumin powder, lemon juice and lemon zest and stir again. Lastly, incorporate the olive and pepper and whisk till emulsified.

Set aside.

Once the roasted beets and carrots are cool enough to handle, cut them into 1/4-inch cubes. Then add them to the bowl with the quinoa. 

Remove the poblano chilis from the bowl and under running water remove the skin with your hands, it will peel off easily. Split the chilis open and remove the seeds. Then pat dry the chilis. Cut the chilis into 1/4-inch pieces. And then add them to the quinoa.

Then add the scallions, pomegranate seeds or currants, radishes, cucumbers, pine nuts and mix together, till combined. Pour the dressing over the quinoa mixture and stir well.

If you want it a little dryer, don’t use all the dressing.

Then stir in the mint, parsley and hemp seeds and transfer to a serving bowl. Garnish with hemp seeds, edible flowers and sliced watermelon radishes.

Recipe Developed by Anna Getty & Photos by: Kendall Conrad | @kendallconraddesign featured on the aficionada blog | #kcaficionada

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