Herbed Quinoa and Pomegranate Salad

After taking the first bite, I was blown away by this flavor-blasted quinoa dish.

Fluffy quinoa is tossed with fresh herbs, crunchy almonds, chewy cranberries, and salty olives. The heavenly mixture is then tossed with lemony dressing and finished with all those juicy pomegranate arils.

Top of the world.

And don’t get me started on quinoa. Not only is quinoa a complete protein that provides your body with all 9 essential amino acids, it’s also packed with fiber, iron, magnesium and lots of other fabulous vitamins & minerals. Long story short, this whole grain salad will make you feel & look great.

Love it.

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Herbed Quinoa and Pomegranate Salad

  • 1 cup quinoa
  • 1/3 cup slivered almonds
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
  • 1/4 cup fresh pomegranate arils
  • 1/4 cup dried cranberries or raisins
  • ⅓ cup thinly sliced Kalamata olives

Dressing

  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (about two medium lemons, juiced)
  • pinch of salt
  • Several twists of freshly ground black pepper

To cook the quinoa: First, rinse the quinoa in a fine mesh colander under running water for a minute or two. In a medium-sized pot, combine the rinsed quinoa and 1 1/2 cups of vegetable broth. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil, then cover the pot, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 12-15 minutes. Remove the quinoa from heat and let it rest, still covered, for 5 minutes. Uncover the pot, and fluff the quinoa with a fork. Set it aside to cool.

To toast the almonds: In a small skillet, heat the almonds over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until they are fragrant and turning golden on the edges. Don’t let them burn! Transfer toasted almonds to your serving bowl to cool.

To prepare the dressing: Whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, salt and a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper.

Final assembly: In your serving bowl, in addition to the almonds, combine the quinoa, chopped mint and parsley, pomegranate, cranberries and olives. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss to coat. Taste and mix in additional salt, pepper and/or olive oil if necessary. Serve right away or refrigerate for later.

recipe adapted from Cookie & Kate

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