QUINOA, BEET AND CHICK PEA SALAD

A friend posted a link on Facebook to a list of recipes using beets.  Since I had cooked beets in the fridge I decided to investigate the recipes.  There were a number that looked interesting and this one caught my attention as I like quinoa.  Of course I made a number of modifications.  Costco sells cooked vacuum sealed beets in small packages and I have been buying them as it saves on cooking time and it is convenient.

The recipe calls for orange juice.  I didn't have any in the house so I used apple juice.  If I hadn't had apple juice I would have used lemon juice but not likely the whole 1/4 cup.  I also used a combination of white and red quinoa.  Besides adding some chopped almonds, I also included roasted chopped hazelnuts.  I added more chick peas than what the recipe calls for.  I added about a cup and a half of cooked chick peas.  If I would have had fresh cilantro or parsley, I would have added a handful of chopped herbs to the salad.  The salad is very good and I will be making this one as one of my 'go to' salads.

Quinoa, Beet and Chick Pea Salad

INGREDIENTS:

3 cups cooked quinoa 

2 beets, trimmed and quartered

Olive oil

Sea salt

1/4 cup fruity olive oil

1/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice

2 tsp tamari sauce

1 tsp balsamic vinegar or rice vinegar

1 tbsp agave nectar, maple syrup or honey

1 cup cooked, drained chick peas

Sea salt and ground pepper, to taste

1 fresh orange, peeled, trimmed, cut into bite sized pieces

handful of roasted almonds, chopped or slivered

DIRECTIONS: 

Preheat the oven to 375ºF.  While the quinoa is cooking, roast the beets in a medium size roasting pan, by combining the beets with a drizzle of olive oil and sprinkle of sea salt.  Place the pan in the center of the oven and roast until the beets are tender (roughly 45 minutes).  Remove the beets from the hot pan and set aside to cool.  When cool enough to handle, rub off the skin. Cut the beets into bite sized pieces. 

Dressing: combine the olive oil, orange juice, tamari, vinegar, and agave in a cup and whisk.  Set aside. 

Combine the warm, cooked quinoa in a mixing bowl with the chick peas and orange pieces.  Pour in the salad dressing and toss lightly.  Season with sea salt and pepper.  Gently add in the cut up roasted beets and chopped almonds.  Do not over mix or your entire salad will turn beet red.

Serve with a sprinkle of fresh goat cheese, if desired. Serves 4.

Modified from  glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com