Description
This Arugula and Crispy Quinoa Salad is tossed with a wildly flavorful preserved lemon vinaigrette, olives, crumbled feta cheese and toasted almonds for a satisfying and healthy weeknight dinner.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Crispy Quinoa
- 4 cups cooked quinoa
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 pinch table salt
Preserved Lemon Vinaigrette
- 1/2 preserved lemon, rinsed well and chopped (about 3 Tbsp. chopped)
- 2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon)
- 2 tsp. maple syrup or honey
- 1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard
- 1/2 cup olive oil, or another neutral oil
- 1 pinch black pepper
- fresh chopped parsley, for garnish
Arugula Salad
- 5 oz. arugula (about 10 loosely packed cups)
- 2 cups crispy quinoa, divided
- 3/4 cup preserved lemon vinaigrette, divided
- 1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted
- 1/2 cup (2 oz.) chopped olives (such as Castelvetrano)
- 1/2 cup (2 1/2 oz.) crumbled feta cheese, plus more for serving
- chopped parsley, for garnish
Instructions
Crispy Quinoa
- If baking the quinoa, preheat the oven to 400F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Transfer the quinoa to the prepared baking sheet and spread to a single layer. Drizzle with at least 1 tablespoon olive oil (more if desired) then bake in the oven until crispy, about 20 minutes. Be sure to stir the quinoa halfway through and check after 15 minutes for doneness. The edges of the baking sheet may burn if you don’t stir well. Remove from the oven when the quinoa is golden brown, dry and slightly crispy (it will get crispy as it cools) then sprinkle with salt
- If making crispy quinoa in a skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat then add the quinoa. Cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and crispy, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat then sprinkle with salt and toss to combine. (Makes 2 cups crispy quinoa)
Preserved Lemon Vinaigrette
- Be sure the preserved lemon is rinsed well before starting this recipe (preserved lemons are very salty). Add the chopped preserved lemon, fresh lemon juice, maple or honey and mustard to a mason jar (or the base of a blender or food processor, depending on what equipment you have). Use an immersion blender to blend the ingredients to a paste (or pulse the ingredients in the food processor or blender to a chunky paste). With the immersion blender still running (or the food processor or blender running), slowly drizzle in the oil until the mixture forms an emulsion. Stir in the black pepper and garnish with fresh chopped parsley just before serving. (Makes 3/4 cups vinaigrette)
Arugula Salad
- Add arugula and half the crispy quinoa to a large mixing bowl. Drizzle with 1/4 cup of the dressing and toss well. Add almonds and olives and more dressing to taste. Toss well to combine. Just before serving, add crumbled feta cheese and gently toss. Serve salad with more dressing on the side and top with more crispy quinoa, feta and parsley.
Notes
- All components of the salad may be made ahead. Store the dressing and crispy quinoa in separate containers for up to 4 weeks in the refrigerator.
- Crispy quinoa will stay mostly crispy in the refrigerator but you can enhance the texture by lightly toasting in a dry skillet.
- Preserved lemons are quite salt, so it's important to rinse the lemon before using.
- Preserved lemon vinaigrette may be stored in a mason jar or airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
- You can skip the crispy quinoa step and simply use cooked (and cooled) quinoa. Use 4 cups of cooked quinoa for this recipe.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Salads
- Method: No Cook/Pan-Fry
- Cuisine: American
