Our delicious quinoa salad knows no bounds—and it’s a substantial meal in a bowl. Here, we’ve paired it with crisp radicchio, spring radishes, and fresh dill and then topped it all off with sliced avocado and almonds.
Toasted Quinoa and Avocado Salad with Buttermilk Almond Dressing
Ingredients
Buttermilk almond dressing
1/4 cup (60 mL) buttermilk or unflavoured oat milk
3 Tbsp (45 mL) roasted creamy almond butter
2 tsp (10 mL) maple syrup
1/2 tsp (2 mL) sea salt
1/2 tsp (2 mL) roasted garlic powder
1/4 tsp (1 mL) freshly ground black pepper
Salad
2 Tbsp (30 mL) extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 1/4 cups (310 mL) cooked white or tri-coloured quinoa, divided (see tip)
2 Tbsp (30 mL) freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 small radicchio, cut in half and shaved or thinly sliced
2 mini cucumbers, sliced into rounds
4 red radishes, shaved or thinly sliced
2 Tbsp (30 mL) minced fresh dill, plus extra for garnish
1 avocado, pitted, peeled, and sliced
1/4 cup (60 mL) whole natural almonds, toasted and chopped
Nutrition
Per serving:
- calories419
- protein11g
- fat28g
- saturated fat3g
- trans fat0g
- carbohydrates37g
- sugars5g
- fibre8g
- sodium <319mg
Directions
01
In high-speed blender, combine dressing ingredients. Pulse until creamy. Add a splash of water if you prefer it thinner. Transfer to small cream dispenser. Set aside.
In medium frying pan, heat 1 Tbsp (15 mL) oil over medium-high heat. Add 1/4 cup (60 mL) cooked quinoa and stir-fry until crispy and golden, about 3 minutes. Transfer to plate and cool.
In large shallow serving bowl, combine remaining cooked quinoa, lemon juice, and 1 Tbsp (15 mL) oil. Toss to coat. Add radicchio, cucumbers, and radishes, and gently mix in. Arrange avocado slices on top. Scatter crisped quinoa and almonds overtop. Drizzle with Buttermilk Almond Dressing and serve.
Perfect cooked quinoa
Use 1 part quinoa to 2 parts water. Rinse quinoa well in fine-meshed sieve. Drain thoroughly. Place in dry, heavy-bottomed saucepan and stir-fry over medium-high heat until it begins to smell aromatic and grains are relatively dry. Add water and return to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for about 15 minutes, or until all the water is absorbed. Remove from heat. Cover for 5 minutes. Then fluff with a fork. Voilà!
No almond butter?
Switch it up and use tahini or natural peanut butter. Substitute cashews for almonds. The options are limited only by your imagination.
Irene McGuinness is a writer, recipe developer, food stylist for numerous magazines and corporations, and alumna of the Writer’s Studio at Simon Fraser University
