Given its enormous popularity over the past several years (and its ability to inspire both enthusiasm and contempt), I would be remiss if I failed to include quinoa in my Year of Whole Grains. And so, meet “Miss April,” the official grain of the month.

Technically speaking, quinoa (pronounced keenwah) shouldn’t be included at all, since it’s actually a seed, not a grain. However, I’m overlooking this technicality because quinoa looks, cooks up, and tastes just like a grain. Its recent popularity is explained in part by consumer interest in all things gluten-free and protein-rich, both of which quinoa is. It supplies high-quality protein along with a goodly dose of iron and fiber.

Quinoa comes to us originally from South America, where it grows in a variety of colors, most commonly white, red, and black. All are similar in taste and cook up relatively quickly, although white quinoa tends to be fluffier.

Which ever way you like to cook your quinoa, this salad is an excellent place to use it. The delicate quinoa is mixed with tender sweet corn, tossed with arugula, and then drizzled with a honey/lime/chive dressing. After divvying the salad into servings bowls, it’s topped with crumbled bacon and slices of ripe avocado. Although it’s not exactly a diet salad, it is packed with nourishment and enough heft and sustenance to carry a meal. It makes a terrific lunch or light supper.

For more quinoa recipes, you might try Colorful Quinoa Tabouleh or Breakfast Quinoa. If you have a copy of my cookbook, check out the recipe for Curried Quinoa with Tangerines and Dried Cranberries.

Salad in a white bowl with avocado and quinoa. Healthy anti-inflammatory recipe

Arugula Quinoa Salad with Avocado and Bacon

Key to enjoying quinoa is preparing it properly. Unless it's pre-rinsed, I routinely rinse quinoa well to slough off the bitter tasting saponins on the exterior. After tinkering with various cooking methods, I've come to prefer boiling it in a generous amount of water and then draining it, similar to how I cook pasta. If you're making this using leftover quinoa, figure about 1 1/3 cup cooked quinoa. If corn isn't in season, feel free to use frozen instead. For a vegetarian version of this salad, the bacon can be left out; it will still be plenty tasty.

Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

Salad

1/2 cup quinoa
5 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
Kernels cut from 1 ear corn (about 3/4 cup corn)
4 slices bacon
4 generous handfuls arugula
1 small avocado , sliced and scooped from the peel
Pinch salt

Dressing

1 tablespoon lime juice
1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives
Freshly cracked black pepper

Instructions

Put the quinoa into a fine mesh strainer and rinse thoroughly with water. Put the quinoa into a small saucepan along with the water and salt. Bring to a boil over high heat and boil vigorously until the quinoa is just tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Add the corn kernels to the pot and cook one more minute. Drain well. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.
While the quinoa boils,cook the bacon using your preferred method until crispy. Drain on a paper towel.
Make the dressing by whisking together the lime juice, balsamic vinegar, honey, and soy sauce until the honey dissolves completely. Whisk in the olive oil. Whisk in the chives and several cracks of black pepper. Set aside.
Add the arugula to the cooked quinoa/corn and toss well. Drizzle about 2/3 of the dressing over the salad, toss again. Add more dressing if needed.
Divide the salad into 4 bowls. Crumble the bacon over each salad. Lay the avocado on top. Add a small pinch of salt to the avocado. If you have any dressing remaining, you can drizzle a tiny bit on top of the avocado slices.
Serve immediately

Comments

04.28.2014 at6:48 AM #

erin {yummy supper}

Hey you, Avocado, bacon, arugula and quinoa… yum…those are definite staples in my kitchen:)
Thanks for the sweet shout out! I hope you and your gang are well.
xoxo
E

04.28.2014 at7:17 AM #

Sarah

This looks delicious, and I love the new printer-friendly option.

Katie Morford

I’ve had the printer option for a while, but haven’t changed over all of the recipes yet. I’ll get there!

04.28.2014 at10:30 AM #

Heather Christo

Avocado and Bacon make everything better! this salad looks delicious!

Agreed! And thank you.

04.28.2014 at10:31 AM #

Angel

This looks amazing. Thanks for sharing.

04.28.2014 at10:34 AM #

Nicole Sommerfeld

I just printed two copies of this and handed off one to a friend in my office who I always share recipes with. Love all of these ingredients, can’t wait to try! Thanks!

Thanks Nicole…appreciate you passing along to a friend. Hopefully the tiny foodie in your house will love it too.

05.03.2014 at5:14 PM #

Q Sincock

Hi Katie!
I just wanted to send you this email to let you know that I recently purchased your Best Lunch Box Ever cook book and I just LOVE it. So much inspiration, and nutritious and yummy recipes! I am finally out of my home lunch rut.
I appreciate all your simple tips like, having a tub of warm soapy water ready when the kids get home to wash their re-useable containers right away so they don’t pile up, using cookie cutters to cut out fruit. I made heart shaped watermelon pieces one day for my kids lunches and my teenage daughter came home from school, gave me a big hug and thanked me, she said she loved them. I didn’t think it mattered that much, but it did.
Thank you for sharing your wonderful ideas, I am so glad I found your blog and then your cookbook, I feel we are kindred mom/food spirits. Now if you can only come up with a similar cookbook for dinners, I would be all set! Thank you for doing what you do! You have a fan for life.
Heh-Kyu “Q” Sincock

Wow! Thank you for your sweet note. I’m so glad you like the book. It’s funny, even the “big” kids still appreciate the little things.

xx,
Katie

Arugula Quinoa Salad with Avocado and Bacon

Arugula Quinoa Salad with Avocado and Bacon

Ingredients

Salad

Dressing

Instructions

Comments

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