Cruciferous and Sesame Tahini Quinoa Salad

Adapted from Hetty McKinnon
Serves: 4-6

Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 25 min

Ingredients:
300 g (10.5 oz) dried quinoa, rinsed
pinch of sea salt
pinch of sugar (optional)
1 tsp vegetable oil
500 g (18 oz) broccolini
500 g (18 oz) cauliflower florets, bite size
400 g (14 oz) shelled frozen edamame
1 tbsp sesame oil
3 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted
2 tbsp black sesame seeds
1 tbsp nigella seeds
1/2 cup flat leaf parsley (sub coriander/cilantro leaf)

Sesame dressing:
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp tamari or soy sauce
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp mirin
3 tbsp tahini
2-3 tsp honey or agave nectar
2.5 tbsp water
sea salt, to taste

A friend shared this recipe with me. The original recipes comes out of Community: Salad Recipes from Arthur Street Kitchen by Hetty McKinnon. I have adapted some of the ingredients and steps.

I call this a ‘cruciferous’ salad because Hetty’s recipe calls for broccoli. You will never find a recipe on my blog with broccoli or coriander leaf (cilantro) but I will be sure to give due credit to their original placement in a recipe so you can decide whether or not you would like to eat the devil’s leaf. I think I might be having an existential crisis with coriander leaf because I never thought it tasted like soap. However, I read this interesting article about taste, bitterness, and genetics that has me wondering if maybe I have no idea what soap tastes like. I mean, I never really gnawed on a bar in my youthful days.

To re-created this salad, I used a 50/50 blend of broccolini and cauliflower and replaced the coriander with flat leaf parsley. I also added more salt (to taste) and another clove of garlic.

This recipe works well because of the warm and sweet sesame-tahini-honey medley alongside the bitter nigella seed and quinoa. It's even better on day 2 as all the flavours meld into the quinoa. 

I am usually lazy and will not rinse quinoa prior to cooking it. No rinse means bitter quinoa because a rinse removes the natural saponin coating. I was glad to have rinsed the quinoa before using it in this recipe. Quinoa is also a great salad base as it is gluten-free and higher in protein than other grains.

	Protein per 1/2 cup cooked
Quinoa		4 g
Brown rice		2.5 g
Couscous		3 g
Wheat-based pasta		4 g

Ingredients:
300 g (10.5 oz) dried quinoa, rinsed
Pinch of sea salt
Pinch of sugar (optional)
1 tsp vegetable oil
500 g (18 oz) broccolini
500 g (18 oz) cauliflower florets, bite size
400 g (14 oz) shelled frozen edamame
1 tbsp sesame oil
3 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted
2 tbsp black sesame seeds
1 tbsp nigella seeds
1/2 cup flat leaf parsley (sub coriander/cilantro leaf)

Sesame dressing:
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp tamari or soy sauce
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp mirin
3 tbsp tahini
2-3 tsp honey or agave nectar
2.5 tbsp water
Sea salt, to taste

Directions:
1. Rinse quinoa and cook according to package directions.

2. Remove any excess water from the quinoa and transfer to the refrigerator or freezer to cool down, ideally, until it is no longer hot to the touch.

3. Meanwhile in a large pot, bring water to a boil with salt, sugar, and vegetable oil.

4. Add the cruciferous vegetables and frozen edamame to the pot of boiling water.

5. Cook the vegetables for 3 minutes, exactly (blanch), and then transfer to an ice bath or run under cold water and set aside.

6. Whisk together the sesame dressing ingredients, opting for less honey and adding more to taste (2-3 tsp total). If needed, add more water to thin out the dressing.

7. In a large serving bowl, gently mix the cooled quinoa, vegetables and sesame oil.

8. Once the salad is well combined, stir in the sesame dressing, half the seeds (1.5 tbsp sesame seeds, 1 tbsp black sesame seeds, 1/2 tbsp nigella seeds), and a generous helping of salt (to taste).

9. Serve topped with parsley leaf and remaining half of seeds.