Quinoa Salad with Ginger-Orange Vinaigrette

Quinoa Salad with Ginger-Orange Vinaigrette is an out-of-the-ordinary salad that will brighten your day with color, crunch, and flavor. Quinoa is considered a superfood, and for good reason (it’s gluten free, too)!

I love this Quinoa Salad with Ginger-Orange Vinaigrette and it’s been a while since I’ve made it. I won’t make that mistake again!

The bright-flavored dressing and the color from your favorite add-in veggies makes this the perfect dish to liven up your table. I used a purple and an orange carrot to make ribbons (just use a vegetable peeler), cucumber, and avocado. I had some other veggies in the fridge I could have added: think bell pepper, peas, corn, radishes, or cabbage.

To top off this salad, I sprinkled on some furikake seasoning. If it’s good enough for rice, it’s good enough for quinoa! Furikake is a seasoning made of salt, herbs, seaweed, sesame seeds, and dried fish flakes. Have you tried it? I love it! I think I bought mine at Trader Joes.

If you don’t have furikake, sprinkle sesame seeds over the top of this before serving. You could even add crushed up peanuts for added flavor.

Quinoa Salad with Ginger-Orange Vinaigrette

Ginger and citrus make the perfect flavor combo…like I said, bright! Try this salad as a side dish to almost any main dish from fish to chicken to beef. Think of all the summer get togethers coming up, whether last-minute or planned. This is an easy dish to put together and everyone will dig in and enjoy!

Bottom line: this salad makes a super-side and it’s definitely versatile. I mentioned that quinoa is considered a superfood. Why? It’s:

• Loaded with nutrients
• Gluten free
• Includes antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds
• A good source of protein
• High in important vitamins and minerals

One note of caution: This salad isn’t one that saves well to serve as leftovers. Be sure to enjoy it the day you make it, otherwise you’ll find a soggy salad on your hands. Ain’t nothing good about that! But, you can make the quinoa ahead of time to save yourself some prep time.

Learn even more about quinoa from Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health. 

Another benefit of quinoa? You can easily find it on store shelves, it’s easy to cook, and you can serve it in so many dishes from breakfast to dessert! Check out a few of my other quinoa-based recipes:

• Creamy Breakfast Quinoa with Roasted Butternut Squash 
• Kale and Quinoa Salad with Honey-Dijon Dressing 
• Sausage, Sweet Potato & Spinach Quinoa Bowls with Egg 
• Quinoa, Coconut and Date Muffins 

The fluffy quinoa makes a great base for this tasty salad. Topped with crunchy veggies and a vibrant dressing, you couldn’t ask for a better summer side! Once you make Quinoa Salad with Ginger-Orange Vinaigrette, you’ll want it on your “to make” list all season long!

Patricia - Grab a Plate

Yields Serves 4-6

Quinoa Salad with Ginger-Orange Vinaigrette

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Ingredients

For the Ginger-Orange Vinaigrette:
• 5-6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoon white wine vinegar
• 3 tablespoons orange juice
• 1/2 tablespoon orange zest
• 2-3 teaspoons fresh ginger, grated
• 1-2 garlic cloves, mashed
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
For the Salad:
• 1 cup quinoa, cooked
• 2 large carrots, shaved or spiral peeled
• 1 cucumber, partially peeled, sliced into rounds, then quartered
• 1 large avocado, cubed
• Optional: Furikake, sesame seeds, or crushed peanuts as garnish

Instructions

For the Ginger-Orange Vinaigrette:
1. Make a paste with the garlic: mince it, add a bit of coarse salt, and use the back of a knife to drag the garlic back and forth a few times to turn it into a paste.
2. Add the olive oil, vinegar, orange juice and zest, ginger, garlic, salt, and black pepper to a small container. Mix to combine. Taste and adjust as needed.
3. Refrigerate until ready to use, then mix before adding to the salad.
For the Salad:
4. Allow the cooked quinoa to come to room temperature, and chill it for at about 15 minutes.
5. Gently toss the quinoa in a large bowl along with the carrot, cucumber, and avocado.
6. Mix the vinaigrette, add to the salad and toss again.
7. Garnish with fuikake, sesame seeds, or crushed peanuts.

Notes

This salad doesn't do well as a leftover dish. I recommend serving the same day you make it. Bonus: You can cook the quinoa ahead of time to cut down on your prep time.

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