Quinoa Pomegranate Salad

Did I mention I was addicted to quinoa? I served this simple salad at a dinner party I had recently and it was an instant hit. The recipe is adapted from “Quinoa 365″ by Patricia Green and Carolyn Hemming. The original recipes calls for feta cheese but I found that goat cheese works much better with the sweet dressing and the toasted almonds. 

Quinoa Pomegranate Salad

Salad Ingredients:

• ¼ cup of quinoa
• 1 head butter lettuce, ripped in bite-size pieces
• ¼ cup red onion, sliced
• Arils from 1 small pomegranate
• ¼ cup slivered almonds, toasted
• ¼ cup goat cheese, crumbled

To cook the quinoa, rinse it first, then cover with 1/2 cup of water in a pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce to minimum heat to simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until grain is soft. Set aside to cool for about 10 minutes with the pot covered.

Dressing Ingredients:

• 3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp honey
• 1 tsp dijon mustard

Layer the lettuce, sliced red onion, pomegranate arils, toasted almonds and the cooked quinoa (once cooled) in serving bowls. Top with the dressing.