Ingredients
- 1 cup multicolored quinoa (or any quinoa)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 pound asparagus
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil.
- 3 cups (or so) chopped lettuce leaves
- 6 to 8 radishes
- ¼ cup minced garlic scapes (substitute chopped green onions, chives or a lesser amount of shallots)
- ⅓ cup vinaigrette dressing, or to taste
- Toppings or stir ins: avocado, feta cheese, imported black olives, capers, toasted sesame seeds, hard-cooked egg, dried cranberries, bacon, sunflower seeds, edamame, cooked chicken
Preparation
• Heat oven to 400°F.
• Rinse quinoa in a mesh colander under running water. Put quinoa in a medium saucepan. Add 2 cups water and salt. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes, until all water is absorbed. Fluff the quinoa with a fork and set aside.
• As quinoa cooks, trim asparagus of any woody ends and spread spears on a shallow baking pan. Drizzle with olive oil and bake for 15 minutes, shaking the pan midway through.
• Mince the radishes (it would be great to have a cup or more) and put them in a large bowl along with lettuce and garlic scapes or chives. When the quinoa has cooled, add it to the bowl. Slice the roasted asparagus into short lengths and add to bowl. Stir the salad, drizzle with ⅓ cup dressing and stir again. Taste for seasoning.
