A lovely salad that works as a side dish for omnivores and an entree for vegetarians. The raw broccoli tenderizes in the vinegar and doesn't eat like raw broccoli.
Consider cutting the honey if it's broccoli season. Leave it at the whole amount if it's late spring/summer and the broccoli isn't at its prime. (More often than not, I've thought the full amount of honey was too sweet overall when attached to sweetened cranberries.)
Do not sub cranberries with pomegranate seeds. The texture doesn't work.
Consider wild rice instead of quinoa. (I haven't tried this yet but it should be delicious and still protein-packed.)
| Ingredients | Step |
|---|---|
| 1 c. raw quinoa | Wash. Boil in well-salted water until plump and tender, about 15 minutes. Drain in sieve, rinse with cool water, and drain well. (Don't treat it like rice with the cloth and lid; it will retain too much heat in the salad.) |
| zest and juice of 1 lemon 3 T. olive oil3 T. Dijon mustard 2 T. honey 2 T. apple cider vinegar |
Whisk together in a very large bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste. |
| 2 heads of broccoli (~1½ pounds) | Finely chop the broccoli and add to dressing. Let it macerate as you prep the rest. |
| 1 tart green apple 4 oz. sharp cheddar |
Finely chop the apple and cheese. Add to broccoli. Toss to combine. |
| cooked quinoa ¾ c. pecans ½ c. dried cranberries |
Add. Toss to combine. Taste. Add more lemon juice, salt, and pepper to taste. |
Source: Sohla El-Waylly (NYT)
On Quinoa
I usually buy quinoa from the bulk section at Sprouts, in whatever color(s) I'm feeling.
I wash it first until the water runs clear (well, clear enough), similar to basmati. Some people run water over it in a fine sieve for a few minutes, but my sieve loses a lot of grains. I tend to swirl and rub it in the saucepan before putting heat under it, with 3-4 changes of water. (Yet other people argue you don’t need to wash it at all, but that's dangerous — depending on your quinoa producer and your taste buds, you might end up with a bitter/soapy/ugly flavor rather than a vaguely earthy grain.)
This recipe boils the quinoa like pasta. That makes it easy to taste-test and see when it is done to your preference. The final texture you want is similar to fine couscous. Maybe up to half of the grains will have unfurled little tails as they cook, and all the grains will plump up and no longer be at all crunchy.