Quinoa Salad with Oven-Dried Tomatoes

This Quinoa Salad with Oven-Dried Tomatoes from Heather Christo’s Pure Delicious is perfect for summer parties! I made it to take to a Seafair party last weekend where it was well-received. I had to share it with you, so I made it again yesterday and took photos.

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Yes, it has been a while since I have posted a new recipe, but we have been very busy around here with happy wedding festivities! Carrie and Rhett were married on July 30!

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Photo by Frank Bedoya

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The rehearsal dinner the night before was at our house, beautifully catered by Café Turko. The wedding was outdoors at a lovely park just outside the Pacific Tower, the Art Deco building that you can see from I-5. Then we all went up to FareStart’s venue on the 8^th floor of Pacific Tower for the reception. The Panoramic Room is a stunning location for a reception with its 180° view of the city, the mountains, and Puget Sound. It was an awesome evening full of wonderful family and friends, great food, and lots of dancing to the fun playlist selected by Carrie and Rhett.

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View of Seattle from the Panoramic Room. Photo by Frank Bedoya.

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The next morning many of us met Carrie and Rhett at Volunteer Park for Starbuck’s coffee and Costco croissants and muffins. It was great to have the opportunity to have a relaxed visit with Rhett’s family and some of the other out-of-state guests before they left Seattle.

All in all, it was a fabulous weekend full of love and joy!

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♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

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OK, so back to this Quinoa Salad with Oven-Dried Tomatoes! It’s a great choice if you’re hosting people with allergies. Those who are vegan or need to eat gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, or nut-free will appreciate this option. Plus, it’s just plain delicious!

It’s a very easy recipe to make. It takes a bit of time, but that’s only because the tomatoes slow-roast for 90 minutes. While they’re roasting, you can cook the quinoa and chop up the parsley and green onions. The dressing includes some of the roasted tomatoes; after a quick spin in the blender it’s ready to go.

This is the first recipe I have made from Pure Delicious. I am looking forward to trying many more. You can check out some more of Heather Christo’s “Deliciously Allergen Free Recipes” on her blog at heatherchristo.com.

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Quinoa Salad with Oven-Dried Tomatoes

(Adapted, barely, from Heather Christo’s recipe in Pure Delicious)

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(print the recipe)

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Serves 6 – 8

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Oven-Dried Tomatoes

1 pound cherry or grape tomatoes, washed and cut in half lengthwise

3 tablespoons olive oil

Salt, to sprinkle on the tomatoes

 

Quinoa

2 cups white quinoa, rinsed and drained

½ cup dry white wine (I used wine; you can substitute vegetable or chicken broth but reduce the kosher salt if the broth is salty.)

1 cup water

1 teaspoon kosher salt (If substituting table salt or sea salt, use ¾ teaspoon.)

 

Tomato Dressing

¼ cup of the oven-dried tomatoes

1 garlic clove, coarsely chopped

¼ cup red wine vinegar

¼ cup olive oil

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

 

To add to the salad

2 green onions, thinly sliced

½ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Additional salt, if necessary

 

1. To roast the tomatoes, preheat the oven to 250°. Spread the tomatoes out on a rimmed baking sheet. Pour the olive oil over them and toss to coat. Sprinkle with some salt and roast for 90 minutes.

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2. While the tomatoes are roasting, cook the quinoa. In a 3-quart sauce pan, bring the wine, water, and salt to a boil. Add the quinoa, stir, and cover. Reduce heat to very low so it will simmer. Cook for 15 minutes. Remove the pot from the burner. Do not remove the cover; let it sit for 20 more minutes. Then remove the cover, fluff it up with a fork and put it in a large bowl.

3. When the tomatoes are done, make the dressing. Put ¼ cup of the roasted tomatoes in a blender. Add the garlic, vinegar, olive oil, and smoked paprika. Blend until it no longer has any lumps of tomatoes.

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4. Gently stir the dressing into the quinoa so it’s all evenly coated. Stir in the rest of the oven-dried tomatoes, the green onions, and the parsley. Taste and season with additional salt if necessary. Can be kept at room temperature to serve within a few hours, or cover and refrigerate for up to 5 days.

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Gently stirring the dressing into the quinoa

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