They say there is a first time for everything, and this is one of those times: I have fallen in love with super healthy, vegetarian salad. If you’re looking for a meal-worthy salad that will delight your tastebuds, check out the recipe below. The combination of tastes and textures will grab your heart. It’s an added bonus that many of the nutrients in these ingredients also can help protect your heart from disease.
Roasting broccoli completely changes its taste. The once slightly bitter vegetable develops a nice round sweetness. And the edges become crisp. The other ingredients – sweet raisins, tangy-salty goat cheese, crunchy sliced almonds – bring layers of addictive texture and flavor to what might be considered a fairly bland (but good for you!) grain base.
Vegetarian Quinoa with Broccoli
4
10 minutes
40 minutes
50 minutes
For the quinoa:
1 pound broccoli, cut into small florets
1 tablespoon olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup raisins
4 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
1/2 cup sliced almonds
For the dressing:
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Toss the broccoli with the oil until well-coated and spread it in a single layer on a large, rimmed baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper.
Roast in the preheated oven until the broccoli is lightly browned and crisp-tender, about 25 minutes.
While the broccoli is roasting, combine the quinoa and 2 cups water in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, and reduce the heat to low. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, mustard, honey, lemon juice, salt and pepper until well-combined.
When the quinoa is finished cooking, stir in the raisins. Add the roasted broccoli and toss to combine.
Add the dressing and stir to mix. Crumble the cheese over the top and garnish with the sliced almonds.