Fall

Quinoa Salad with Feta, Blood Oranges and Mint

by:
March  1, 2010
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Quinoa Salad with Feta, Blood Oranges and Mint
  • Serves 4
Author Notes

I love cooking with quinoa. It's a delicious, nutty grain and it makes for a great side dish. This salad is also a good main dish option, just top it with a fried egg or some grilled or seared scallops. I use a combination of quinoas, one red, one not, to add additional color and interest to the dish. —Savorykitchen

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 1 cup quinoa
  • 1.25 cups water
  • 3 blood oranges
  • 1 shallot, finely chopped
  • 1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted
  • 1/4 cup chopped mint
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3 ounces feta cheese
  • salt and pepper
Directions
  1. Make the quinoa: Rinse the quinoa in a mesh strainer. Bring the water and a pinch of salt to a boil in a small saucepan. Add the quinoa and reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes until quinoa is tender.
  2. While the quinoa is cooking, prepare the oranges. Cut the peel off of two of the oranges and then cut them into bite-sized sections, removing any really fibrous bits. (If you know how to supreme an orange - do that.)
  3. Combine the cooked quinoa, chopped or supremed oranges, shallots, pine nuts, and mint. Squeeze the juice of the other orange over the salad and drizzle it with olive oil (about 2-3 tablespoons). Gently stir in the feta cheese. Taste the salad and add salt and pepper to taste.
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12 Reviews

tiptoesinthekitchen
tiptoesinthekitchen September 30, 2010
this is really beautiful
 
Savorykitchen
Savorykitchen September 30, 2010
thank you - do feel free to substitute orange oranges if you can't find blood oranges this time of year.
 
Midge
Midge September 28, 2010
Love quinoa; can't wait to try this.
 
TheWimpyVegetarian
TheWimpyVegetarian June 16, 2010
I made this tonight for dinner. It was really great. Just loved it. Thanks so much!
 
Savorykitchen
Savorykitchen June 17, 2010
Glad you liked it! Did you use regular oranges? This time of year I can't get blood oranges.
 
TheWimpyVegetarian
TheWimpyVegetarian June 25, 2010
Sorry! I just saw your comment when I went to look up the recipe to make again tonight. I don't get an email notifying me when someone replies to something I post - sorry! Yes, I used regular seedless navel oranges that I supremed and cut in half to make bite size. I made some black beans last night and I thought I might toss some of those in tonight and see what that would be like.
 
TheWimpyVegetarian
TheWimpyVegetarian March 2, 2010
I love quinoa too and cook often with it. This is a wonderful combination of flavors! I can already tell I will love this one. Thanks so much for posting. I'm always looking for great recipes with quinoa. I love the above idea of toasting the grain too!
 
thirschfeld
thirschfeld March 1, 2010
I love quinoa and this salad looks delicious. Have you ever roasted the quinoa before cooking it?
 
Savorykitchen
Savorykitchen March 2, 2010
I've tried giving it a toast in a skillet before cooking, but I usually forget that step. Do you do that every time you cook quinoa?
 
thirschfeld
thirschfeld March 2, 2010
not always it just depends on my mood and time. I usually toast it in the oven when I do. But I do like the added flavor of roasting.
 
monkeymom
monkeymom March 1, 2010
The combo of quinoa in this is so beautiful.
 
Savorykitchen
Savorykitchen March 1, 2010
Thanks! The first time I did it, I was just combining the dregs of several packages to get enough for a recipe. When I saw how pretty it was I realized it was something I should start doing on purpose.