Red Quinoa, Mango and Grilled Corn Salad with Basil Orange Dressing
posted by virtual chef on Sep 5, 2009 | Salads |
I was at a gluten-free cooking class the other night at my local cookware store and one of the recipes the chef did was a version of this quinoa salad. It was amazingly refreshing with a nutty taste I couldn’t wait to make it at home and put my own spin on it. I wanted to serve it with the Korean BBQ Chicken I had marinating in the refrigerator for our lunch yesterday but I am not sure how I managed to finish the first batch (1 cup) of salad I made. I thought I was just tasting it to check if I had the spicing right and the next thing I know, it was gone. So I made another batch last night, let it chill in the refrigerator and hopefully serve it today with the steak hubby bought yesterday.
Quinoa (pronounced Keen-wah), is technically not a grain but the seed of the Goosefoot plant. It is used in breads, soups or even beer-like beverage and a staple in the South Americas. Some say quinoa is “the best source of protein in the vegetable kingdom”, with about 12 – 18% protein content. It is very nutritious and does not contain gluten, which makes it popular to people who are on the wheat-free/gluten-free diet.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup red or white quinoa grains, washed and drained
- 2 cups water
- salt to taste
- 1 ripe mango, peeled and diced
- 1 ear grilled corn, cut from the cob
- 2 tomatoes, diced
- 2 pcs green onions, chopped
Directions:
- Boil water over medium heat then add quinoa and salt. Cover then reduce to a simmer, cook for 15 – 20 minutes. Remove the lid, fluff with a fork and then set aside to cool.
- In a bowl, combine cooked quinoa and the rest of the ingredients. Add the basil orange dressing, mix and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Basil Orange Dressing
- 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves (loosely packed)
- 1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 tbs agave nectar or honey
- 1 tsp sriracha sauce or chili sauce
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- salt to taste
Combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender. Puree until smooth.
Note: This salad can be made 1 day ahead and kept in refrigerator until ready to serve.
I love quinoa, yours looks fabulous!
Yum! This looks healthy and delicious. I have plenty of cooked quinoa in my fridge (from my last post) and adding mango sounds great! The dressing sounds interesting too.
Love quinoa, but I’ve never seen Red Quinoa
Rita: I can’t really tell the difference taste-wise but it looks good with the salad ingredients!
Natalie: The dressing is amazing. You can also use lime and/or lemon instead of orange but the sriracha sauce gives it a mild kick!
meatlessmama: thank you!
I wonder if we have quinoa here. That looks easy to make.
Your salad looks so refreshing! I adore quinoa, red or white. It has become my go-to lunch meal, with a little feta and whatever veggies I have in the fridge.
Great pictures! Very nice blog!
Red quinoa looks really good with all the salad…
This looks really healthy and YUMMMY….!
I think it would be really tasty served with bourbon Glazed Chicken.
tita be: maybe you can check at divi…they might be called something else.
cookin’ canuck: and they are so healthy and delicious!! i will have to try it with feta.
laura: thank you!
angie: and tastes wonderful, too!
annie: wow..bourbon glazed chicken! i’m checking your blog for the recipe!!! sounds like a winning combination!
Wow! I mean…wow! This looks so good. I have just started to get into quinoa (recently went gluten-free) and this looks delicious.
Hi Cafenilson,
Congrats, this salad is looks good…I love mango haha anything with mango would be great for me. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
All I can say is YUM!
I love red quinoa- it’s so stunning in recipes.
And that looks like a delicious sauce I will have to try- sweet and spicy all at once- my favorite combination!
I’ve never used red quinoa before -that looks great!
Love, love, love quinoa and I love this recipe! I have a few friends who have developed wheat intolerances, and quinoa has been such a great ingredient to use for salads. I love all these flavors — so fresh and summery! Will have to try it!
Sounds good and healthy. Thank you for sharing. Cheers !
alta: it tastes good, too!!
Elin: you’re welcome and thanks for stopping by. I am a mango fan, too! green or ripe!
winnie: i think the dressing really added to the YUM in this dish. the taste of basil and sweetness/tartness of orange plus a bit of sriracha put it all together.
Gina: let me know when you try it. I’ve used white quinoa before and just started using the red one.
Wasabi Prime: let me know how it goes. i just love the crunch and knowing that it is a healthy grain!
sizzlechef: thanks for stopping by!
Quinoa is great for making salads like this.
this looks so yummy–great for making ahead!