Quinoa Salad with Cranberries, Cilantro, Cucumbers & Radicchio
Recipe and Image thanks to My Lilikoi Kitchen
Quinoa Salad with Cranberries, Cilantro, Cucumbers & Radicchio
Makes about 4 cups
Ingredients
1 cup uncooked quinoa
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon kosher salt for cooking quinoa
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup packed finely chopped cilantro
1/3 cup finely diced cucumber
1/4 c finely chopped radicchio (or red cabbage)
salt and pepper
Preparation
Steam method
Wash quinoa in a large bowl of cold water. Drain and repeat 5 times rubbing the quinoa between your fingers.
In a medium saucepan (3 qt. works well) bring 4- 5 cups of water to a boil. Add 1 teaspoon of kosher salt or 1/2 teaspoon regular sea salt. Add the rinsed quinoa. Once the water returns to a boil reduce heat to medium high and cook quinoa uncovered for 10 minutes.
Using a fine mesh sieve drain the quinoa and rinse under cold water. Set the sieve over a saucepan of boiling water (about 2 inches of water so quinoa does not come in contact with the water) and steam covered with a kitchen towel and lid until fluffy and dry, about 10 minutes.
While the quinoa is steaming whisk the olive oil and lemon juice in a small bowl.
Transfer steamed quinoa to a large bowl to cool. Once cool, add the cranberries, cilantro, cucumber and radicchio and toss with the quinoa. Drizzle the olive oil and lemon juice dressing over the quinoa and mix to combine. Add salt and a few grinds of pepper to taste.
Basic cooking directions without steaming: Rinse quinoa as noted above and drain well. In a medium saucepan bring 1 1/2 cups of water and 1/2 teaspoon salt to a boil. Add quinoa, cover the saucepan and turn the heat to low. Cook for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside for 10 minutes keeping the lid on the pan. Fluff quinoa, cool and proceed with the recipe.
***If I have any leftover salad I usually add a little extra lemon juice to it the next day since the quinoa tends to absorb the dressing the first day it’s made. I prefer my salad dressing to be on the tart side without too much oil.
