I’ve always made this recipe with couscous but now that I’m wheat-free I decided to try substituting quinoa. What I love about this dish is how well the flavors (cinnamon, apricots, pistachios and basil) meld together.

Ed and I were making a grilled Moroccan spiced lamb (see below) recently and I thought this salad would be a great accompaniment.  We were pleased with the “swap” as it was just as tasty and has the added bonus of adding some extra protein to the meal.

This is a great salad to bring to a picnic or potluck dinner – I’m pretty certain you’ll receive a compliment or two. Plus, it’s very easy to make.

Bonus Recipe:  Try Urban Accents’ Casablanca Ras el Hanout on a grilled boneless leg of lamb. In addition to the spice mixture and lamb all you need is a lime, garlic and honey. The recipe is very tasty and it smells amazing coming off the grill. You can get both the Urban Accents spice mixture and a one pound boneless leg of lamb at Wegmans.

Quinoa Salad with Dried Apricots and Pistachios

 

 

Quinoa Salad with Dried Apricots and Pistachios

Print Recipe
Course Side
Servings 4

Ingredients
  

  • 2-1/4 cups water
  • 1 cup 7 ounces red quinoa
  • 3/4 cups 4 ounces dried apricots, thinly sliced
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 cup 2.5 ounces unsalted pistachios, toasted
  • 4 chopped about 1/2 cup scallions, chopped
  • 4 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Instructions
 

  • Place quinoa in a fine sieve and rinse with cold water.
  • Place water and quinoa in a medium saucepan and bring a boil over high heat.
  • Reduce heat to low and cover. Simmer for 15 minutes.
  • Remove from heat. Add apricots, cinnamon and allspice and stir. Let stand covered for 10 minutes for the water to absorb and grains and apricots to become tender.
  • Fluff with a fork and stir in olive oil.
  • Let quinoa cool to room temperature.
  • Just before serving stir in pistachios, scallions and basil. Season with salt and pepper.

Notes

* I recommend using red quinoa as it holds up slightly better when cold (plus I like the color), but you can substitute white or multi-color.
* You can use the same amount of couscous in place of quinoa. Follow cooking directions on the package. Mix couscous with apricots, cinnamon and allspice before adding the boiling water.
* Quinoa mixture can be made a day in advance and refrigerated. Bring to room temperature before adding pistachios, scallions and basil.