Summery to the max! The avocados, pistachios, and quinoa give this salad a nice rich feeling.
Note: you’ll need to give the quinoa time to cook and cool. Prep this at minimum 30 minutes in advance (ideally more) and then put in the fridge or freezer to chill.
Note: it’s not the end of the world if you don’t have or want to use a blender or food processor to make the dressing, you can whip the dressing together in a bowl with a whisk/fork.
Ingredients:
1/2-3/4 Cup Cooked Quinoa
1 Nectarine
1 Avocado
1/2 Cup Shelled, Roasted Pistachio Nuts
1 Cup Thinly Sliced Fennel (use a mandolin if you have one!)
2 Cups Arugula (or lettuce of choice)// Mustard Chive Vinaigrette //
* These are estimates, give or take to your own taste.1 Small Clove Garlic
1/4 Cup Roughly Chopped Chives
1 Tbsp. Apricot Jam (Honey or Agave will work)
2 tsp. Dijon Mustard
1/3 Cup Fresh Lemon Juice
1/2 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Pinch Salt/Pepper
Method:
1. Put all vinaigrette ingredients in a food processor or blender, pulse until everything is combined, about 30 seconds. Taste for salt and pepper.
2. Working in a large mixing bowl, add the cooked and cooled red quinoa, and about 3 tbsp. of the vinaigrette to keep it moist. Stir.
3. Halve the nectarine, remove the pit, and slice into thin pieces. Halve the avocado and cut into small chunks. Add the fennel slices, pistachios and half of the nectarine and avocado pieces to the bowl, save the other half for garnish. Also, add arugula.
4. I suggest using clean hands to toss everything, so you can be gentle and retain the shapes of the avocado and nectarine. Add desired amount of dressing and give one more toss to coat. Garnish with fresh slices of nectarine and avocado.
