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QUINOA - Chai-Spiced Quinoa and Roasted Sweet Potato Salad with spinach, cranberries and almonds
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Yield: about 6 cups salad
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| Warm Chai-Spiced Quinoa and Roasted Sweet Potato Salad with spinach, cranberries and almonds Janet and Greta Ingredients | |
| 1 cup | uncooked quinoa, (try a red-and-white blend) |
| 1¾ cups | strongly brewed chai tea, (see alternatives in Cooking Tips) |
| 4 cups | peeled, cubed sweet potatoes, (½ inch cubes; about 1 large sweet potato) |
| 3 tbsp | olive oil, divided |
| 1 cup (well packed) | coarsely chopped fresh baby spinach |
| ½ cup | dried cranberries |
| ⅓ cup | sliced almonds |
| ¼ cup | chopped fresh parsley |
| 3 tbsp | freshly squeezed orange juice |
| ½ tsp | grated orange zest |
| Sea salt | |
| freshly ground black pepper to taste | |
Directions
Bring the quinoa and tea to a boil in a medium pot. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes, until quinoa is cooked and liquid is evaporated. Be careful not to burn the quinoa. Remove from heat and stir in spinach. Cover and let stand while you roast the sweet potatoes.
Toss the potato cubes with 2 tbsp olive oil then spread them on a foil-lined baking sheet in a single layer. Roast at 400°F for about 20 minutes, stirring once (halfway through cooking time), until potatoes are tender.
Transfer potatoes to a large bowl. Add quinoa-spinach mixture, cranberries, almonds and parsley. Mix well. Whisk together orange juice, zest and 1 tbsp olive oil. Pour over salad and mix well. Add salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
Salad may be served immediately or chilled. Enjoy!
Makes about 6 cups salad
Per cup: 281 calories, 10.7 g total fat (1.2 g saturated fat), 6 g protein, 43 g carbohydrate, 5.5 g fiber, 0 mg cholesterol, 148 mg sodium
Cooking Tips
If your quinoa is not the “pre-rinsed” variety (it will state this on the package), then you must rinse it in a mesh sieve under cold running water before cooking to remove the bitter outer coating.
If you don’t have chai tea, you can substitute 1¾ cups vegetable broth + ½ tsp garam masala spice blend or pumpkin pie spice. Garam masala is a popular Indian spice blend that’s widely available in most well-stocked supermarkets. One of our favourite brands of chai tea comes from the Canadian company, Steeped Tea. Their Roasted Apricot Chai Green Tea is perfect in this recipe!
This salad also makes a great side dish to roasted turkey, chicken, fish or pork!
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