Springtime Tahini Quinoa

Quinoa-the food for all seasons! This dish gets a springtime push, with fresh asparagus and kale to welcome in springtime!!! Today I was celebrating because 1) I rode my bike! 2) I can see the grass, and 3) asparagus is down to $1.99/lb!  All things that shout springtime! I can’t wait until asparagus is coming up from our own patch.  Freshly grown asparagus is soo sweet. If you have an area you can devote to an asparagus patch, I highly recommend it! I’ll be posting a bunch of recipes devoted to my favorite springtime veggie over the next few weeks and how to grow it.

Springtime Quinoa on top of Roasted Portobello Mushroom and Tzimmis

I created this dish for Passover, since quinoa is kosher for Passover. So many people think that quinoa is a grain, but no sir! Similar in texture to couscous, it’s the seed of the fruiting body of the quinoa plant. Depending on the color of the seed heads, you’ll get different colors of quinoa. The most popular are the white and the red forms. Since quinoa is a seed, it’s best soaked to allow the seed coat to open. This allows the quinoa to cook faster, be less bitter, and to be easier to digest. I soak mine for at least 4 hours, but it can be soaked overnight or done in the morning before heading out on your day.  Quinoa has a bunch of benefits. It’s high in protein, making it great for healing. It’s packed with fiber, helping to regulate blood sugar, boost digestive health, lower the risk of many forms of cancer, and increases satiety, keeping you full for longer. Quinoa also has many micronutrients, like manganese, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, and folate. These nutrients are all wonderful for healing and help to decrease inflammation in the body.

The dressing for this salad is also great as an oil-free dressing drizzled on salads, baked sweet potatoes, on falafel, you name it! You will have leftovers. If you’d like a thinner dressing, add a little more lemon juice or water.

This salad will feed a crowd and makes great left overs for the week. It will serve about 10-15 side servings. If you want less, make half-but you might be wishing you had more….:) Definitely don’t skip the cashews-they rock!!!

Ingredients:

Tahini Dressing (makes 1 1/2 cups):

• 1/2 cup tahini
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 date
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 clove of garlic
• 3/4 cup water

Salad:

• 2 cups quinoa
• 2 cups blanched asparagus cut into bite sized pieces, reserve some tops for garnish
• 6 cups raw chopped kale, sauteed
• 1/2 cup minced red onion
• 1 cup minced celery
• 1/4 cup minced parsley, plus an additional tbsp for garnish
• 1 tbsp lemon zest
• 1/2-1 tsp kosher/sea salt to taste
• 1/2-3/4 cup tahini dressing, to taste
• 1/3 cup chopped curried cashews (or more)
• black pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Drain soaked quinoa and place into a pot with 4 cups water. Bring to boil, reduce to low and cook until softened, but not mushy (taste after 15 minutes, if done, drain remaining water). Quinoa can be made ahead and refrigerated.
2. While quinoa cooks, make dressing. Place all ingredients into blender and blend until smooth
3. Place asparagus into boiling water, and let cook for no more than 1 minute. Place immediately into ice cold water to shock, and stop cooking.
4. Saute kale with a little water until wilted.
5. Steps 1-4 can be done ahead of time, as can curried cashews. Add all ingredients into a large bowl (saving a few asparagus tips for garnish), and toss with dressing (add desired amount). Add cashews right before serving to keep crunchy. 
6. Serve as a side dish, or main meal. This salad is great when topped on a portobello mushroom, or on fresh salad greens. 
   

Nutritional Benefits:

• Very high in protein-8.6 g/serving, great for healing
• Good source of fiber: 4.4 g-great for digestive health, maintaining blood sugar
• Packed with potassium-575 mg, awesome for heart health, regulating blood pressure, kidney and nervous function
• Great source of Vitamin A-127% daily serving, great for skin, eye, and hair health
• Great source of 91% Vitamin C needs, awesome for immunity, reduces inflammation
• Good source of plant-based calcium-11% needs, important for bone, teeth health, plant-based sources are easier for body to absorb
• Good source of iron 30%, plant-based sources are easier for the body to absorb

4.0 from 1 reviews

Springtime Tahini Quinoa

 

Print

Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

50 mins

 

Springtime Tahini Quinoa: made with oil free tahini dressing and the beautiful colors of spring. Fresh asparagus, kale, and parsley make springtime come alive.

Author: www.gardenfreshfoodie.com

Recipe type: Salad

Cuisine: Plant-Based

Serves: 10-15

Ingredients

Tahini Dressing (makes 1½ cups):

• ½ cup tahini
• ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 date
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 clove of garlic
• ¾ cup water

Salad:

• 2 cups quinoa
• 2 cups blanched asparagus cut into bite sized pieces, reserve some tops for garnish
• 6 cups raw chopped kale, sauteed
• ½ cup minced red onion
• 1 cup minced celery
• ¼ cup minced parsley, plus an additional tbsp for garnish
• 1 tbsp lemon zest
• ½-1 tsp kosher/sea salt to taste
• ½-3/4 cup tahini dressing, to taste
• ½ cup chopped curried cashews (or more)
• black pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Drain soaked quinoa and place into a pot with 4 cups water. Bring to boil, reduce to low and cook until softened, but not mushy (taste after 15 minutes, if done, drain remaining water). Quinoa can be made ahead and refrigerated.
2. While quinoa cooks, make dressing. Place all ingredients into blender and blend until smooth
3. Place asparagus into boiling water, and let cook for no more than 1 minute. Place immediately into ice cold water to shock, and stop cooking.
4. Saute kale with a little water until wilted.
5. Steps 1-4 can be done ahead of time, as can curried cashews
6. Add all ingredients into a large bowl (saving a few asparagus tips for garnish), and toss with desired amount of dressing. Add cashews right before serving to keep crunchy.
7. Serve as a side dish, or main meal. This salad is great when topped on a portobello mushroom, or on fresh salad greens.

Notes

575 mg potassium, 127% Vitamin A, 91% Vitamin C, 30% Iron, 11% Calcium, per serving

Nutrition Information

Serving size: 1/10 Calories: 231 Fat: 8 g Saturated fat: 1.1 g Carbohydrates: 34.6 g Sugar: 1.2 g Fiber: 4.4 g Protein: 8.6 g Cholesterol: 0 mg

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