Quinoa pomegranate salad - and whack a pom

If you look through the Recipe list for this blog, you'll notice some recurring ingredients, namely quinoa and chorizo.  Well, don't fret, there's a recipe with chorizo coming up in a couple of days, but for now, how about some more KEEN-wah? 

This salad was inspired by a colourful dish over at Scandifoodie. It seems I am not half as healthy or resourceful as Maria when it comes to ingredients, so I've substituted quinoa for rye grain, and spinach for kale, though the pomegranate is there in all its glory.  This is a lovely salad especially if you cook the quinoa in chicken stock instead of just water - it adds more flavour to counteract the sweetness of the craisins and pomegranate. I also added some grilled prawns for even more seasaltiness though the salad is filling enough on its own.

And remember how to remove the seeds from a pomegranate: cut the pomegranate in half, then hold one half, cut side down, over a large bowl. Hit the pom with a rolling pin and the seeds should fall out (a lot of juice will also spray out, hence the large bowl).  This method is known as 'whacking a Pom'.  This method will also hopefully be employed during the Ashes tests.

Quinoa and Pomegranate Salad
serves 3-4

Ingredients
1 cup quinoa
2 cups reduced salt chicken stock
50g baby spinach leaves, shredded
1/4 cup craisins (dried cranberries)
1/2 pomegranate, seeds extracted
1/4 cup walnuts, roughly chopped

Dressing
4 tblsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tblsp red wine vinegar
1 tblsp pomegranate molasses
salt and pepper

Method
1.  To cook the quinoa: rinse the quinoa in a fine sieve, drain, then place in a medium saucepan with the chicken stock. Bring to a simmer, then cover and cook for about 10 minutes, until the quinoa is soft and the liquid has evaporated.  Remove from the heat and cool slightly.
2.  For the dressing: Whisk the dressing ingredients together in a jug or bowl and season to taste with salt and pepper.
3.  To assemble the salad: Fluff up the quinoa with a fork, then combine with the spinach, craisins and pomegranate seeds.  Pour over the dressing and toss through.  Sprinkle with walnuts and serve.

Ingredients, including olive oil, pomegranate molasses, red wine vinegar, quinoa, unwhacked pomegranate, spinach and walnuts.

Other nuts, such as cashews, would also be fantastic in this salad.

A bowl of high-protein deliciousness.