ESCAPE FROM TUNA SALAD

Quinoa Salad with Asparagus and Feta

Quinoa is high on the list of FOODS I FEEL I SHOULD EAT, but I am still building up a repertoire of ways to use it. Today was my first crack at this salad as a work lunch, and it was pretty successful! I’ve adapted this recipe from Taste to make a batch big enough for two work lunches.

Ingredients 

• 500ml (2 cups) water
• 150g (1 cup) quinoa, rinsed, drained
• Olive oil spray
• 1 bunch asparagus, woody ends trimmed, cut into 4cm lengths
• 1 large red capsicum, roasted
• 40g crumbled reduced-fat feta
• 30g sunflower seed kernels
• 2 shallots, trimmed, thinly sliced
• 1 tbs chopped fresh continental parsley
• 1 1/2 tbs fresh lemon juice
• 2 tsp honey
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 tsp sweet paprika
• 2 big handfuls of baby rocket leaves

Method

• Combine water and quinoa in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 12-15 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed. Transfer to a large bowl. Set aside to cool.
• Meanwhile, preheat a large chargrill on high. Spray lightly with oil. Cook the asparagus for 2-3 minutes or until tender crisp. 
• Char grill your capsicum however you prefer - I just popped mine in our little toaster oven and rotated it until it was black all over, then remove the charred skin and slice it up.
• Add the asparagus, capsicum, feta, sunflower seed kernels, shallot and parsley to the quinoa.
• Whisk the lemon juice, honey, oil and paprika in a small bowl until well combined. Add the dressing and rocket to the quinoa mixture. Season with pepper and toss to combine.

Note: For work lunches, I separated out the quinoa, the dressing, the rocket and the other stuff into separate containers, then put together just before I ate them. It’s worth the hassle to stop everything getting soggy.