Warm Quinoa Salad with Lemon Tahini Dressing

Happy New Year, y'all!

In the past, I've said "recipe to follow on the blog," and I'm finally fulfilling that promise. Life gets mighty busy, so recipes like this one come in handy! It's delicious when served warm and equally as delicious served cold the next day.

Double-up batches, because you're going to love it!

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked tri-color quinoa
1 bulb fresh fennel, thinly sliced
4 medium carrots
1/2 medium zucchini, sliced
6-8 cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 cup arugula
1 tsp fresh thyme
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/8 tsp freshly cracked pepper

Dressing:
1/4 cup tahini
Juice of 2 lemons
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Zest of 1 lemon
1/8 tsp coriander
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/8 tsp freshly cracked pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425F.

Prepare tri-colored quinoa according to box directions; I prefer using chicken or vegetable broth in place of water - it adds more flavor!

Dice the fennel, zucchini and carrots into 1/4 inch wide strips; add zucchini, fennel and quartered cherry tomatoes to a baking sheet lined with parchment and sprayed with coconut oil. Arrange the vegetables so they're in an even layer across the entire baking sheet. Spray the veggies with a thin layer of coconut oil, sprinkle with salt, pepper and fresh thyme. Roast the veggies at 425F for 20 minutes. (Note: in the photo I used broccoli this go-round in place of the zucchini!)

While the vegetables roast and the quinoa cooks, make the dressing!

No methodology here - just dump all the dressing ingredients into a food processor or bowl and mix until you've got no lumps left! (By now your kitchen is starting to smell good, right?

Once the quinoa and veggies are cooked, allow them to rest for approximately 5 minutes (they should be warm, not hot!). Dump the quinoa into one large mixing bowl, and add 1 tablespoon of the dressing; toss until all the quinoa is coated. 

Add the roasted vegetables, arugula and 2 more tablespoons of dressing to the quinoa - keep tossing again until it's fully coated. Spoon yourself a heaping helping into a bowl, and garnish with whatever your hearts desire; I used sliced avocado and slivered almonds, but feel free to have fun with it!

Happy eating! xx,
Mrs. O'Brien

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