The Ultimate (non soggy) Quinoa Salad (+ fried eggs and muhammara)

Roasted sweet potatoes, chickpeas, toasted almonds and bitter radicchio liven up this quinoa salad, making it something you can eat for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

As a private chef in Los Angeles, I have made A LOT of quinoa salad. I know what I like: crunch, herbs, lots of textures, bright flavors and my quinoa cooked al dente. I loathe a soggy, wet, anemic looking quinoa.

Over the years I’ve fine tuned my recipe to one I really love. It’s crunchy, herby, nutty, has a surprising and lovely bitterness from radicchio, and is substantial enough to be a meal with roasted sweet potato and (canned) chickpeas. Another great thing about it is you can swap out the veggies, nuts and herbs according to what you have in your refrigerator that needs using up (or what you like.) This salad can work as a meal (I often add a fried egg or tinned fish for more protein), or as a side for other meals throughout the week. 

One cup of cooked quinoa has 222 calories, 8 grams of protein, and 5 grams of fiber. If you add two eggs (12 g of protein) and account for the chickpeas, nuts, and muhammara (red pepper and walnut dip), the plate below has almost 30 g of protein.

Quinoa salad for breakfast with two fried eggs and a spoonful of muhammara dip (recipe below.)

Quinoa Salad with Sweet Potato, Chickpeas, Radicchio and Almonds:

Ingredients:

• 2 cups raw quinoa (any color, I prefer red because I find it less mushy)

• 2-3 peeled sweet potatoes or yams, cut into 1/2” cubes

• 1 diced yellow bell pepper

• 1 diced red bell pepper

• 3 stalks of celery, diced

• 1 cup toasted sliced almonds

• 1-2 cups shredded radicchio - if you don’t like radicchio sub red or green cabbage

• 1 cup corn kernels (optional - I had a leftover grilled cob of corn I needed to use)

• 1/2-1 cup chopped herbs (parsley, basil, cilantro, mint, dill, etc)

• 1 can drained + rinsed chickpeas (add two cans if you want extra protein)

Instructions:

•Roast the sweet potatoes: Preheat oven to 375°F. Toss sweet potato cubes just enough olive oil to coat and season with salt and pepper. Spread in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast for 20-25 minutes, or until tender and easily pierced with a fork

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•Cook the quinoa. You can cook your quinoa according to the package instructions if that works for you. The way I do it is more like boiling pasta and draining it once it’s al dente:

In a medium saucepan, add quinoa and a teaspoon of salt. Cover quinoa with water by 2 inches. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes or until tender. I can tell it’s done by tasting a tiny spoonful - I like it still firm, but not raw tasting or gritty. Drain well in a sieve, and then spread quinoa out on rimmed sheet pan to cool and allow remaining moisture evaporate. This step helps remove any remaining water so you don’t end up with soggy quinoa. In the video below you can see the steam has more room to escape once its on the sheet pan.

•Assemble the salad: In a large bowl, combine cooled quinoa, roasted sweet potatoes, diced bell peppers, celery, almonds, radicchio, corn, herbs, and chickpeas. Season with salt and pepper and add white wine vinegar and olive oil to taste. To keep it on the lighter side, I season it sparingly with white wine vinegar (or lemon) and a small drizzle of olive oil. You can always add more when you’re eating it. I find it keeps better in the fridge when it’s not too wet. If you prefer, you can make a full vinaigrette and add it as needed.

Tips:

•  Add or substitute your favorite ingredients. Carrots (diced or grated), cucumber, feta, tomatoes, red onion, green onion, dried fruit, different nuts, or beans are all good here.

• Mix in green lettuce or arugula for more greens

• Add sliced grilled chicken or tinned fish for lunch

• Serve it as a vegetarian side dish at dinner

• My favorite way to eat this is with two eggs fried in olive oil and muhammara

  

• Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

• Leave a comment and tell me how you like to eat quinoa:

Muhammara (roasted red pepper and walnut dip)

Ingredients:

• 3 roasted red peppers⁣ (or a 12 oz. jar of roasted red peppers, drained)⁣⁣⁣

• 1 cup lightly toasted walnuts⁣⁣⁣⁣ or roasted almonds (unsalted)

• 1 clove garlic⁣⁣⁣⁣

• 1 teaspoon cumin⁣⁣⁣⁣

• Juice of half a lemon⁣⁣

• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes⁣⁣ or Aleppo pepper⁣⁣

• 1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses⁣⁣⁣⁣ (or 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar)

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt⁣⁣⁣⁣

• 1/4-1/2 cup olive oil⁣⁣ depending on taste⁣⁣

Blend everything in a blender until smooth. Keeps in a jar, refrigerated for about 5 days