Quinoa Salad

Good to know: This salad can be made a day ahead, it travels well, and will last 3 days refrigerated. Before cooking quinoa, the seeds must be rinsed to remove the saponin, a bitter resin-like coating.
You’ll Need
- 1 cup quinoa
- 2 cups water
- ½ sweet red pepper, chopped fine
- 1 orange, cut into segments
- 1 grapefruit, cut into segments
- ¼ cup dried cranberries
- ¼ cup feta cheese, crumbled
- ¼ red onion, thinly sliced
- Handful of fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 Tbsp orange juice
- 1 Tbsp rice vinegar
- ¼ cup pistachios/slivered almonds, toasted (optional)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Prep and Cook
- In a strainer, rinse quinoa under running water and drain thoroughly.
- Place quinoa, water and salt in a medium-sized saucepan and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for approximately 15 minutes (or until the water is absorbed and quinoa is tender).
- Remove pot from the heat, fluff with a fork, and bring to room temperature.
- Place the cooled quinoa in a large bowl.
- Add fruit, vegetables, feta and nuts to the quinoa.
- For dressing, whisk olive oil, orange juice, and rice vinegar together in a small mixing bowl.
- Add dressing to the salad and toss gently, until just combined.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Cover and chill until ready to serve.