Thursday, March 21, 2013

Cauliflower, Black Bean, and Quinoa Salad



I have been desperate lately to have a lot of healthy food ready in the fridge for my appetite. I guess we all go through phases in life, and my phase right now is that I am always hungry. It can be trouble if there isn't something ready for me to grab. My standard go to is Quinoa. It fills me up, is low in calories, and packed with protein. I keep this salad in the fridge and scoop up some when my tummy starts complaining. It is best served warm. So it is a warm salad. If you are looking for healthy options, then this one is a new staple. I got two heads of cheddar cauliflower delivered to me this week from Naturally to your door. 
They are a lot smaller than the standard cauliflower so I used both, even though the recipe is only for one cauliflower head. 
I just wanted to explain to you why my cauliflower looks different than yours. It doesn't taste like cheese, it tastes just like regular cauliflower, but it is orange so it has the name cheddar cauliflower. You can use regular white cauliflower and it will turn out the same. 

Cauliflower, Black Bean, and Quinoa Salad
adapted from Bon Appétit | March 2013

1/2 cup Quinoa
Kosher salt
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon greek yogurt
1 tsp vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
Freshly ground black pepper
1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed
1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves, divided
2 tablespoons fresh tarragon leaves, divided

Place Quinoa in a large saucepan; add water to cover by 2". Season with salt. Bring to a boil and cook until tender, 25-30 minutes. Drain; run under cold water. Set aside.

Meanwhile, whisk lemon juice, vinegar,greek yogurt, Dijon mustard, and 3 tablespoons oil in a medium bowl until emulsified. Season dressing with salt and pepper; set aside.
Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add cauliflower; cook, turning occasionally, until browned in spots, 10-12 minutes.Season with salt and pepper.

Transfer cauliflower to a large bowl; add beans, 1/4 cup parsley, 1 tablespoon tarragon, reserved Quinoa , and half of reserved dressing. Toss to coat; season with salt and pepper.
Divide salad among bowls; drizzle remaining dressing over. Garnish with lemon zest, 1/4 cup parsley, and 1 tablespoon tarragon.
Serve warm.

4 comments:

  1. What a stunning cauliflower dish. I love that color. :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Where is the vinegar added? Am I missing it?

    ReplyDelete
  3. It goes in the yogurt mix. Sorry, I forgot to put it there. I will add it now.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I absolutely love lemon zest and lemon juice on quinoa! I will have to try the cheddar cauliflower. I've seen purple too???

    ReplyDelete

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