Quinoa salad with mango, cucumber and lemon shallot dressing

This weekend we took out most of the tomato plants and cucumbers that are done producing, I was left with one last lemon cucumber to use up. This dish was like one last blast of summer.

 

Quinoa salad with lemon shallot dressing

Adapted from the Oprah Magazine, August 2015

Ingredients

1 cup quinoa (multicolored helped with the prettiness factor)

¼ cup white balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

½ teaspoon kosher salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Zest of one lemon, plus 2 tablespoons fresh juice

¼ cup chopped shallots

2 garlic cloves, minced

¼ cup olive oil

1 large orange

4 hearts of palm, thinly sliced (about half of a 8.8-ounce jar)

1 mango, peeled, pitted and chopped

½ cup cucumber, sliced into half moons

1/3 cup toasted pine nuts

Method

Prepare quinoa according to package directions. Fluff and let cool.

Combine vinegar, mustard, salt, black and cayenne peppers, lemon zest and juice, shallots and cloves. Whisk in olive oil.

Zest the orange. Peel and remove pith. Cut into chunks. In large bowl, combine cooled quinoa, orange and zest, hearts of palm, mango, cucumber and pine nuts. Toss together with dressing and serve.

Rating: Really nice flavors and good mix of colors and textures. The tropical notes smack of summer. It’s nice as is, but I might try it again and sub in water chestnuts for the hearts of palm for additional crunchy contrast. Definitely worth making again.

Note: Could be a decent meatless main dish if you added chickpeas. I added some grilled chicken to some of the leftovers to make a main dish lunch for Dave.