Moroccan Spiced Lemon Dressing And Quinoa Apricot Spinach Salad
This spicy salad with little jewels of dried apricot in the mix would be welcome at lunch or a simple weekday dinner. You can prepare the salad and dressing ahead of time. The dressing is inspired by the flavors of north africa and is good drizzled on mixed green salads as well as grain salads. From from eatingwell magazine, summer 2003, and the eatingwell healthy in a hurry cookbook (2006). Posted for zwt 6 - north africa / middle east region.
Steps
To prepare the dressing:.
Whisk lemon juice , yogurt , honey , cumin , cinnamon and ginger in a small bowl until blended.
Slowly whisk in oil so that the dressing becomes smooth and emulsified.
Season with salt and pepper.
To prepare the salad:.
Toast quinoa in a dry skillet over medium heat , stirring often , until it becomes aromatic and begins to crackle , about 5 minutes.
Transfer to a fine sieve and rinse thoroughly.
Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
Add garlic and cook , stirring constantly , until golden , about 1 minute.
Add apricots and the quinoa.
Continue cooking , stirring often , until the quinoa has dried out and turned light golden , 3 to 4 minutes.
Add water and salt.
Bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer , uncovered , until the quinoa is tender and the liquid is absorbed , 15 to 18 minutes.
Transfer the quinoa to a medium bowl and toss with 1 / 3 cup of the moroccan-spiced lemon dressing.
Let cool for 10 minutes.
Just bef.
Ingredients
lemon juice, nonfat plain yogurt, honey, ground cumin, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, olive oil, salt, fresh ground pepper, quinoa, garlic cloves, dried apricot, water, salad dressing, cherry tomatoes, red onion, baby spinach, sliced almonds