Quinoa shrimp salad with tangerines, chickpeas and almonds

 

Quinoa and shrimp salad with tangerines and almonds

From Bon Appetit, Dec. 2000. The recipe originally called for couscous, but I'm in more of a grain mode at the moment.

Ingredients

1 cup plain yogurt

½ cup olive oil

¾ tablespoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon fresh tangerine juice

1 large garlic clove, pressed

3 cups water

1½ cups quinoa

4 tangerines, peeled, seeded and chopped (reserve 1 tablespoon juice for dressing)

1 cup cooked garbanzo beans

1/3 cup golden raisins

8 ounces cooked shrimp, (large are better than small), peeled and deveined

1/3 chopped green onion

½ cup sliced almonds, toasted

Method

Whisk together yogurt, olive oil, cumin, juices and garlic in a small bowl. Set aside.

Combine water and quinoa in a sauce pan. Bring to a boil. Lower heat to a simmer and cook until liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a bowl to let cool to room temperature. Fluff with a fork.

Add tangerines, garbanzo beans, raisins, shrimp, and most of the green onions and almonds. Mix in dressing to desired consistency (you’ll likely have leftover). Garnish with remaining green onions and almonds. Can be made in advance and chilled.

Note: This recipe is pared back from the original, which was designed to make three times as much since it was part of a holiday open house buffet menu, and simply cutting back the dressing ingredients by two thirds makes a bit too much. But since the dressing is the best part, I was happy to have leftovers and I’m not sure I think it’s worth trying to figure out how much you’d need to cut it down further to make just what you need for this recipe.

Rating: Nice flavors. The crunch of the almonds and green onions help offset the otherwise mush factor, and the tangerines give it a nice tang. The best part was the cumin-flavored yogurt dressing, which is a keeper. I used the leftover dressing mixed with a chiffonade of baby kale leaves for a quick slaw. Very tasty.