Crispy quinoa & peach salad

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Crispy quinoa levels up this peach salad and is very easy to make. Add in some feta cheese and a raspberry vinaigrette to tie it all together.

Prep Time10

Cook Time40

Total Time50

Servings: generous side salads

Calories: 400kcal

Ingredients

Arugula salad

5 ounces arugula
3 peaches
½ cup feta cheese or goat cheese
½ cup dry quinoa
1.5 tablespoon olive oil optional for roasting quinoa

Raspberry vinaigrette (makes about 1 cup)

6 ounces raspberries 1 small container
⅓ cup olive oil
2 tablespoon lemon juice or white wine vinegar
1 pinch salt

Instructions

Make the quinoa

Preheat oven to 375℉.
Rinse raw quinoa to remove saponins (bitter flavors). Then cook according the package directions.
Drain cooked quinoa and spread out on parchment paper, a plate, or baking sheet to let it briefly dry and steam to release. 5 minutes is enough time.
Transfer quinoa to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (optional for cleanup). Make sure the quinoa has enough room to spread out in a single layer. At this point you can toss with olive oil which adds a richer flavor, but isn't necessary for crispiness.
Roast for 15-30 minutes, until crispy. Check often after 10 minutes so it doesn't burn.

Make the salad dressing

Add raspberries to a food processor or blender, and blend briefly until smooth. You don't need to remove the seeds, but can strain them if you want a smoother dressing. (I usually don't).
Add in olive oil and lemon juice, blending just until mixed. Add salt to taste.
The pectin in the raspberries act as a thickener and emulsifies without mustard. However, the emulsion is temporary and won't hold for hours, so add 1 teaspoon of mustard if you want a stronger emulsion.

Assemble the salad

Slice peaches (or cut into chunks).
Add arugula, peaches, and feta to your plates, then drizzle with dressing and top with crispy quinoa.

Notes

The crispy arugula can be made a week ahead of time and it stays totally crunchy when stored on the counter in an airtight container.

This makes 4 generous side salads. If serving at a dinner party with other sides, it will probably serve 8 people.

Nutrition is calculated using all of the dressing (a generous quarter-cup per salad), and plain roasted quinoa. If you add 1.5 tablespoons of olive oil to roast the quinoa, add 45 calories per serving.

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Nutrition