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12.06.2014

4 ratings, avg : 4.50
15
2-4

Rather a long title, but I really wanted you to see the dressing ingredients. The sweet, earthy tones are beautiful with the beetroot and the combination with the quinoa and haloumi makes this a great main course salad. However, it becomes the star of the show when enjoyed with a piece of grilled salmon.

This dressing was a huge hit when I made it in a bulgur wheat salad for an event last December. The flavours really do complement each other gorgeously. I recently had a brainwave and thought I’d try it with beetroot. I wasn’t sure if it would work, as beets tend to go well with very sharp vinegary dressings, but it turned out to be a keeper.

At first I tried the salad with haloumi, you know, the Cypriot cheese that you fry lightly and then can’t stop eating. It suits it very much, since it’s quite a salty cheese and that gives some balance to the overall sweetness of the salad. Make sure you use quite a bit, cut it into small pieces and mix well so each bite you take has a mix of all the flavours. Another cheese I tried it with was anthotyro. This is a Greek soft white cheese, a bit like ricotta. It’s not particularly salty, depending of course on which sort you get, but it still made for a lovely combination with the salad ingredients. I can’t figure out why, but there you go. Now I didn’t try it myself, but I’m sure this would also go very well with feta, as feta and beets are BFFs even on their own.

After having done all my taste tests, I still had a small quantity of salad leftover in the fridge. We were having grilled salmon that evening, and rather than throw away this yummy last portion, I thought I’d have it on the side instead of the mashed potatoes we usually have with salmon. So I served it up, regarding it more as one of those mismatched clean-out-the-fridge dinners that I –happily- make for myself when I have leftovers. Boy was I wrong. One bite of the two together and I felt like I’d discovered gold. What an amazing combination of flavours! This salad was born to be served next to a beautiful, juicy, grilled fillet of salmon. Try it. Enough said.

Ingredients

For the salad

1 1/3 cup cooked quinoa

2 (200-250gr) cooked beetroot, cut into medium size cubes

1-2 Tbs parsley, finely chopped (or to taste)

Fried haloumi, or anthotyro/ricotta, or feta to serve (optional)

For the dressing

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup fresh orange juice

1 Tbs honey

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1/2 tsp cumin, powdered

1/2 tsp cinnamon, powdered

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground

Show me more ideas and suggestions

I often use ready cooked beets (the vacum packed ones – not the pickled ones!). If I have fresh ones though, I roast them in my slow cooker like this. They turn out amazing.

Step 1

Combine the quinoa, beets and parsley in a bowl and mix well.

Step 2

Put the dressing ingredients into a clean jam jar and shake well till incorporated. Pour over the salad, a little at a time, and mix. You might not want all the dressing (I did). Add one of the cheeses if desired and serve. If you are enjoying it as a side dish to salmon, leave out the cheese.

The salad is even better the next day. This makes it an ideal choice for a buffet or dinner party, since you can make it ahead of time. It’s a good idea to keep half the dressing out till you serve it. Original dressing recipe by Power Hungry.

4 ratings, avg : 4.50

So, what do you think? Leave me a comment!

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