Missing Jordan, so we're getting more creative in the kitchen. We loved a creamy quinoa salad the Four Seasons Amman served, so we tried to come up with our own vegan version. To try this, we referenced Exceedingly Vegan and Vitamix. We served with some vegan za'atar sausage kebabs to boot.
Exceedingly proud of this one!
Quinoa Salad | Serves: 4 | Time: ~30 min
Ingredients
1 cup #quinoa, uncooked, rinsed in water
1 tsp cumin seed
1 tsp fennel seed
2 cups water
½ tsp salt
½ small onion, diced
3 cups #spinach, chopped
½ cup fresh parsley leaves, tightly packed
1 cup dates, pitted and diced
1 cup shelled pistachios
Dash of garlic powder
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp EVO
1/4 cup + water (add slowly, and to your desired consistency for the pistachio paste)
S&P to taste
Instructions
Pour quinoa into a 2-quart pot and toast over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes until the grains are dry and lightly toasted. Add cumin and fennel seeds and toast another minute, then add water and salt. Bring to a boil, stir a few times, and cover with a lid.
Reduce heat to low and cook for 20 to 22 minutes, until all of the water is absorbed and grains are tender. Cool for 5 minutes.
(While quinoa cooked, I started cooking the kebabs, as well.)
While the quinoa is cooking, combine the onions, spinach, parsley, and dates in a mixing bowl. Then make the dressing/paste by combining pistachios, garlic powder, lemon juice, EVO, water and S&P in a Ninja, and blend until smooth. When quinoa has cooled, add it to the onion, spinach, parsley and dates mix and combine well. Then add pistachio paste to mixture and combine well.