With spring around the corner, start adding more color to your diet with this Honey Tangerine, Avocado & Quinoa Salad with an Asian Citrus Vinaigrette.
The salad is bright with citrus fruits, creamy with avocado, and crisp with sunflower shoots. It’s also packed with nutrients from quinoa, and dressed lightly in a refreshing Asian vinaigrette.
Quinoa is one of my ‘superfood’ staples. I love its fluffy texture, and delicate, nutty taste. It’s easy to prepare and makes a fantastic canvas for salad recipes like this one.
For those of you who are not familiar with quinoa, it is actually a seed that’s high in protein and fiber, along with many other beneficial nutrients. It’s healthy and light, gluten-free, and versatile for making all sorts of dishes. I usually make a big batch, and store the leftovers in the fridge for a meal the next day, and freeze the rest for later.
To season this Honey Tangerine, Avocado & Quinoa Salad, I used our Japanese Seven Spice (Shichimi Togarashi) – a great go-to blend for creating delicious, Asian-style vinaigrettes. It adds a spicy touch to the salad, and complements the citrusy and nutty flavors.
Pick your favorite sweet citrus fruit for the salad. I recommend Honey Tangerines – which are in season right now – because they’re just so juicy and sweet. Perfect for salads!
For the greens, I added in a large handful of local sunflower shoots that I picked up at our co-op from Jeff @ Mana Gardens. The shoots add a fresh, lemony-nutty flavor to the salad, and a wonderful crunch that goes so well with the fluffy quinoa. If you don’t have access to sunflower shoots, add in some peppery arugula instead.
Tangerine, Avocado & Quinoa Salad with Asian Citrus Vinaigrette
Serves 2-4
Ingredients:
2 cups cooked quinoa*
2 honey tangerines, or any sweet variety of orange – sliced into small chunks
1/2 small red onion – diced
1 avocado – cubed
1/2 red bell pepper – diced
A large handful of sunflower shoots or arugula
1/2 tsp to 1 tsp Season with Spice’s Spicy Japanese Seven Spice
Vinaigrette:
Leftover juice from the tangerine/orange that you chopped
A few squeezes of lemon juice or lime juice
1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil or sunflower oil
1 tbsp honey, or more
1 tsp Season with Spice’s Spicy Japanese Seven Spice
Method:
1. Whisk together the vinaigrette ingredients. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine quinoa, tangerine/orange, red onion, avocado, red bell pepper and sunflower shoots. When ready to serve, pour the vinaigrette over the salad and gently toss to combine. Taste, and sprinkle in more Japanese Seven Spice if you like. Enjoy!
How to cook quinoa:
1. Rinse quinoa in cold water thoroughly before cooking. This helps to remove any remnants of the natural coating around the seeds called saporin, which can make the quinoa taste slightly bitter. Drain well in a fine sieve.
2. Combine 1 part quinoa with 2 parts water or broth in a saucepan. Add in a pinch of salt. Bring it to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer until quinoa is tender – about 15 minutes.
3. When it’s done, fluff the quinoa gently with a fork. (If there’s any remaining liquid, just continue simmering over low heat for another 2-3 minutes, or until all the water has been absorbed).
Serves 2-4
Ingredients:
2 cups cooked quinoa*
2 honey tangerines, or any sweet variety of orange – sliced into small chunks
1/2 small red onion – diced
1 avocado – cubed
1/2 red bell pepper – diced
A large handful of sunflower shoots or arugula
1/2 tsp to 1 tsp Season with Spice’s Spicy Japanese Seven Spice
Vinaigrette:
Leftover juice from the tangerine/orange that you chopped
A few squeezes of lemon juice or lime juice
1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil or sunflower oil
1 tbsp honey, or more
1 tsp Season with Spice’s Spicy Japanese Seven Spice
Method:
1. Whisk together the vinaigrette ingredients. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine quinoa, tangerine/orange, red onion, avocado, red bell pepper and sunflower shoots. When ready to serve, pour the vinaigrette over the salad and gently toss to combine. Taste, and sprinkle in more Japanese Seven Spice if you like. Enjoy!
How to cook quinoa:
1. Rinse quinoa in cold water thoroughly before cooking. This helps to remove any remnants of the natural coating around the seeds called saporin, which can make the quinoa taste slightly bitter. Drain well in a fine sieve.
2. Combine 1 part quinoa with 2 parts water or broth in a saucepan. Add in a pinch of salt. Bring it to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer until quinoa is tender – about 15 minutes.
3. When it’s done, fluff the quinoa gently with a fork. (If there’s any remaining liquid, just continue simmering over low heat for another 2-3 minutes, or until all the water has been absorbed).
