Zesty Confetti Salad With Quinoa

"A blend of veggies and quinoa pulled together with a tangy, slightly spicy citrus-pepita dressing. Though there are a lot of ingredients, it's easy to make."
 
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photo by MN_SpiceHunter photo by MN_SpiceHunter
photo by MN_SpiceHunter
Ready In:
55mins
Ingredients:
17
Serves:
5-7
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ingredients

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directions

  • Rinse quinoa well. Combine with 3/4 cup water in small saucepan. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 15-20 minutes or until water is absorbed and holes have formed in surface of quinoa. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature or cooler.
  • Dry toast pepitas by putting them in a large skillet or frying pan and shaking over high heat until they begin to pop and "dance". Remove from heat.
  • In food processor, combine pepitas, cilantro, lime juice, orange juice concentrate, olive oil, chili powder, cumin and salt. Blitz until a rough paste forms. (It looks a little funny at this stage--don't worry!).
  • In a very large bowl, combine veggies, quinoa and sesame seeds and toss. Add citrus-pepita dressing and mix well to coat. Chill at least one hour; overnight is ideal.

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Reviews

  1. Somehow I randomly had all the ingredients on hand for this recipe. This was a lovely change of pace from the normal dinner salad and would be great for a potluck or picnic. I didn't think the sauce would be enough but it was plenty & it really clung to all the veggies which was critical. Great recipe - thanks MN_Spicehunter!!!
     
  2. Great recipe!!! Followed exactly the first time I made it. The second time I didn't have a lot of the ingredients, but I did have what I needed for the dressing, and then used peas, corn, carrot, and really missed the peppers I didn't have. It was still very good!! So a very versatile salad! Thanks for posting, we will enjoy it for years to come.
     
  3. I had to make this for a gathering and everyone loved it. I made a triple recipe (and had to find a big aluminum roasting pan to mix it in!). I didn't triple the cilantro and it seemed to be okay. I cut the broccoli & cauliflower into small florets instead of chopping. No time for the jicama so that got left out. The dressing was more liquidy than a paste but was okay on the salad. I did find the cumin to be overpowering so next time I will go lighter on that.
     
  4. WOW...really good...very easy once you actually get the ingredients together I know you could easily make subs and leave some out... more of this and less of that type of thing, but I had it in my head to do it just right at least once :)...I had a hard time having everything in the house all at the same time because I store a lot of greens to do juicing and green smoothies daily and have to use a cooler because no room in the fridge...when it came down to making it I forgot the scallions of all things {{lol}} so used red onion {{OH WELL}}..I also added some hot pepper to give it extra ZEST and because I have a garden full of them and they are going into EVERYTHANG!!! Great salad, really different and special...(little bit $$$ to make 'cause of all the stuff BUT worth it as a treat!!!) Hey I LOVE That sauce that will be a new go-to idea for a lot of future dishes for a dressing...- made for "I Recommend TAG" and I also recommend it- thanks MN_SpiceHunter :) Great recipe!!!!
     
  5. The dressing was great, but I couldn't find pumpkin seeds so I used sunflower instead. I love quinoa and this was another great way to serve it.
     
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Tweaks

  1. The dressing was great, but I couldn't find pumpkin seeds so I used sunflower instead. I love quinoa and this was another great way to serve it.
     

RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

I'm a vegetarian living in Uptown Minneapolis. I cook a lot in the winter, watch a lot of baseball in the summer, and knit like a fiend year-round.
 
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