Carrot Quinoa Salad
Cute tiny grains. Bright orange carrots. Summer days. Good.
Quinoa is a relatively forgiving grain to cook. I loosely measure 2 parts liquid to 1 part quinoa, but if you rinse it well and pour a random large amount of water into the pot you can drain off whatever liquid is left when it is cooked to your liking, or you can add more water during the cooking process if needed. Beautifully un-fussy and un-intimidating—but ONE EXCEPTION is that you definitely want to rinse it first to remove the saponin, the bitter flavored outer coating. You won’t regret it.
Try Red or Black Quinoa for some beautiful color variations, but DON’T mix the colors while cooking—apparently they cook at different speeds.
My carrot photos were not very interesting so these stamps seemed much more fun. Someday I’m going to learn how to watercolor…
This salad has the Cumin Pickled Carrots for a little surprising brightness in the grainy midst. Last week we made a version of this for 300 singing campers at Village Fire to help fuel their vocal activities. Hundreds of songs sung, thousands of pounds of food eaten. Maybe ten pounds of food for every song? Not a bad ratio. They sang to us while we cooked, before the meals, while washing dishes, and give an extra special song in thanks before every meal. It’s good to feel appreciated.
Carrot Quinoa Salad
Prep Time: 10 minutes to prep, 30 minutes to sit (not including pickling the carrots)
Cook Time: 20 minutes to cook, 20 minutes to sit
Soak in water overnight then drain, or rinse well in a strainer:
1 cup Quinoa, uncooked
Add Quinoa to a sauce pan with:
2 cups Water
1/4 teaspoon Salt
Cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove the pan from heat and let sit for another 15 minutes. Uncover, fluff the cooked grains and let cool.
Mix together in a bowl:
3 cups cooked Quinoa
3/4 cup Cumin Pickled Carrots, diced
1/3 cup Craisins, packed
1/4 cup Pumpkin Seeds
1/4 cup Parsley, chopped
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
3/4 teaspoon Cumin Seeds, toasted
1/2-3/4 teaspoon Cinnamon
Optional: 2-4 Tablespoons Fresh Mint, chopped
Let rest for 30 minutes for the quinoa to absorb the flavors.
Enjoy!
“If I cannot fly, let me sing.”
-Stephen Sondheim
