Grilled Asparagus And Quinoa Salad With Goat Cheese And Black Olive Vinaigrette Recipes

Steps:

• Prepare a grill for medium heat. Chop the tough, woody ends off the asparagus (about 1 inch) and peel another inch of the stalks.
• Whisk the lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper together in a large bowl. Add the asparagus and toss until well coated.
• Put the asparagus on the grill at an angle so the stalks don't fall through the grates. Grill, flipping halfway through cooking, until the asparagus begin to char, the pointy ends start to crisp and the stalks are just tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove to a platter and sprinkle with the feta and mint.

Steps:

• Pour water into a saucepan and bring to a boil; add quinoa and salt, stir, cover saucepan with a lid, and reduce heat to low. Simmer mixture until quinoa is tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat, let quinoa rest for 5 minutes, and transfer quinoa to a bowl to cool.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add asparagus and cook uncovered until tender but still crisp, 2 to 3 minutes; drain in a colander and immediately immerse asparagus in ice water for several minutes until cold to stop the cooking process. Drain.
• Stir asparagus, feta cheese, almonds, green onions, parsley, thyme, and lemon zest into quinoa.
• Whisk lemon juice, olive oil, honey, garlic, Dijon mustard, and black pepper together in a bowl until dressing is smooth. Pour dressing over quinoa mixture and stir gently to combine.

Steps:

• For the vinaigrette: Combine the vinegar, honey and mustard in a blender and blend until smooth. With the motor running, slowly add the olive oil and blend until emulsified. Add salt and pepper to taste and pulse a few times to incorporate.
• For the quinoa salad: Bring the salted water or vegetable stock to a boil and add the thyme. Stir in the quinoa, bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer until cooked through, about 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and let sit 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
• Preheat the grill. Brush the asparagus with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill on all sides until just cooked through, about 5 minutes. Remove from the grill and cut into 1/2-inch pieces.
• Transfer the quinoa to a large bowl, fold in the asparagus, olives, goat cheese, basil and parsley. Add just enough vinaigrette to moisten the salad; don't make it too wet. Transfer to a platter and drizzle with more of the vinaigrette.

Steps:

• Heat grill. Brush asparagus with olive oil and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Grill on both sides until just cooked through, about 2 minutes on each side. Remove from grill and cut in half.
• Bring 8 cups of salted water to a boil. Add quinoa and cook until soft. Drain and rinse with cold water and drain again.
• Place the quinoa in a medium bowl and add red wine vinegar, olive oil, parsley and 1/4 cup of olive vinaigrette. Stir to combine. Place on plate and top with goat cheese, asparagus, whole nicoise olives, sliced tomato and parsley sprigs.

Steps:

• Preheat a grill for low heat. Combine the lemon juice and olive oil on a plate. Place asparagus on the plate, and roll around to coat.
• Grill asparagus for about 5 minutes, turning at least once, and brushing with the olive oil mixture. Remove from the grill, and place back onto the plate with the oil.
• In a large bowl, combine the spinach, Parmesan cheese, and slivered almonds. Cut asparagus into bite-size pieces, and add to the salad along with the lemon juice and oil from the plate. Toss to blend, then serve.

Steps:

• Place the quinoa in a strainer and rinse several times with cold water. Place in a medium saucepan with 1 1/2 cups water and salt to taste. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer 15 minutes, until the grains display a threadlike spiral and the water is absorbed. Remove from the heat, remove the lid and place a dish towel over the pan, then return the lid to the pan and let sit for 10 minutes or longer undisturbed. Transfer to a salad bowl and fluff with forks.
• Steam the asparagus for 3 to 4 minutes, until just tender. Rinse with cold water, pat dry and cut on the diagonal into 1-inch pieces. Add to the quinoa, along with the radishes, pine nuts, chives and tarragon.
• Whisk together the lemon juice, garlic, salt, olive oil, buttermilk and pepper. Shortly before serving, toss with the quinoa and asparagus mixture. Sprinkle the feta over the top and serve. If desired, drizzle a teaspoon of the lemon-scented olive oil over each serving.