Super Green Quinoa Salad

Salads are wonderful things. They’re delicious and a great way to get your veggies in, but there are only so many times you can have the same salad before you’re sick of it and want to trade it for a plate of french fries, you know?

We’re always looking for fresh ways to make our salads and when we got this recipe from our friend Tahirih Linz we knew we found a winner. Try it out and you’ll definitely agree!

You’ll need

2 cups quinoa

2 onions, peeled and very thinly sliced into rings
2 TBSP (I like more) olive oil
1/2 – 1 tsp ground cumin (or toast and grind your own seeds)

Herb paste
1/2 cup parsley
2 cups cilantro
1/2 cup dill
1/4 cup tarragon
1/4 cups mint, fresh
3 TBSP olive oil

1 cup shelled pistachios

3 cups baby arugula (1 box works great)

Directions

Cook quinoa in 2 cups of water in a rice cooker or on the stove-top until all water is absorbed. Allow to sit for 5-10 minutes after cooking and then fluff with a fork.

Add the herbs and oil to a food processor and process until very smooth. Can be made up to 2 days ahead of time. I recommend making a large batch and freezing for future use. You can stir this paste into almost anything – greek yogurt or hummus – to add tons of flavor. And, yes, the herb paste is very tedious to make. So put on some music, get really zen, and hyper-focus on separating tiny leaves from their stems. It can be a good idea to do this part the night before. If so, store the de-stemmed herbs overnight between damp paper towels in plastic baggies.

Meanwhile, in a small frying pan, heat oil and add cumin. Add onions and sauté over medium heat until soft and golden brown.

Add the herb paste to the fluffed quinoa and use fork to thoroughly combine. Add the hot onions to the arugula and toss well till a bit wilted. Mix green quinoa and and arugula together and top with pistachios. Serve immediately or chilled.