Pom & Hazelnut Quinoa Salad

Recipe by Buffy EllenCourse: Lunch

Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

minutes

Exclusively from my new book Be Good: Plant-based Recipes for Everybody. A lovely light salad that takes advantage of my favorite spring produce — crunchy pomegranate seeds, tender asparagus, a variety of lettuce, and creamy avocado. If you haven’t tried adding fruit to your salads, it’s a magical way to take a salad from average to wow.

Ingredients

Salad
1 cup quinoa
2 tsp veg stock powder
salt and pepper
1 bunch asparagus, ends trimmed
1⁄3 cup hazelnuts
6 cups lettuce (buttercrunch, fancy, mesclun or rocket)
2 radishes, finely sliced
1 avocado, sliced
seeds of 1⁄2 pomegranate
1⁄2 cup micro greens (optional)
Balsamic dressing (makes 2 cups)
1⁄3 cup balsamic vinegar
1⁄3 cup apple cider vinegar
1⁄3 cup water
1 shallot
1 clove garlic
1 tbsp wholegrain or Dijon mustard
3 dried dates, pitted
2 tsp sea salt
1⁄2 cup cold-pressed olive oil
1⁄4 cup fresh herbs (e.g. basil, parsley, oregano or thyme)

Directions

Preheat oven to 180°C fan bake.
Rinse quinoa (or soak overnight), drain, then cook with 2 cups water and the stock powder for 15 minutes. Leave to dry out for 5 minutes with the lid off, then season with salt and pepper.
On a baking tray, toss asparagus in a little olive oil, if desired, season with salt and pepper, and roast for 10 minutes until golden. Put hazelnuts on another baking tray and pop on the bottom rack of the oven for 5 minutes while the asparagus is cooking. Remove both from oven and set aside to cool.
Blitz dressing ingredients (except oil and herbs) in a blender until smooth. While the blender is on low, slowly pour in the oil until it emulsifies. Add the herbs and pulse until finely chopped. Place in the freezer for 5–10 minutes to thicken up quickly.
Arrange the salad in two layers. Place half of the lettuce, quinoa, asparagus, radish, avocado,
pomegranate seeds, hazelnuts, and microgreens on a dish. Drizzle with a few tablespoons of dressing, then add the remaining ingredients in a second layer and top with more dressing. Eat straight away while fresh!