Spring Vegetable and Quinoa Salad with Bacon

Name: Spring Vegetable and Quinoa Salad with Bacon
Total time: 26 min
Yield: Serves 4 (serving size: about 1 cup)
Ingredients: 2 ½ cups fresh asparagus, cut diagonally into 1-inch pieces; ½ cup frozen green peas; 3 center-cut bacon slices, chopped; 3 tablespoons cider vinegar; 1 tablespoon unsalted butter; 2 teaspoons whole-grain Dijon mustard; 1 ¾ cups Ginger-Coconut Quinoa; 1 teaspoon black pepper; ½ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley; 1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon; 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves; 5 ounces baby spinach; 3 tablespoons sliced almonds, toasted

2 Ratings
2 Reviews

This rich and dynamic quinoa salad could easily be pulled together with whatever leftover grain you have on hand, such as farro or bulgur. A trio of fresh herbs deliver a major dose of freshness while balancing out more robust flavor components, such as whole-grain Dijon mustard and toasted almonds. To make this dish vegetarian, prepare the quinoa using vegetable stock instead of chicken stock and eliminate the bacon.

By Adam Hickman

Recipe by Cooking Light April 2016

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Credit: Jennifer Causey Styling: Lindsey Lower

Recipe Summary

hands-on:

18 mins

total:

26 mins

Yield:

Serves 4 (serving size: about 1 cup)

Nutrition Info

Directions

Step 1
Bring a large saucepan filled with water to a boil. Add asparagus and peas; boil 2 minutes. Drain. Plunge into a bowl of ice water; drain.

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Step 2
Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove bacon from pan with a slotted spoon; set aside. Add vinegar, butter, and Dijon mustard to drippings in pan, stirring with a whisk until butter melts. Add quinoa and pepper to pan; cook 1 minute. Place quinoa mixture in a medium bowl; add asparagus mixture, parsley, tarragon, thyme, and spinach, tossing to combine. Divide quinoa mixture among 4 plates; sprinkle evenly with reserved bacon and almonds.

Nutrition Facts

Per Serving:

266 calories; fat 10.1g; saturated fat 2.9g; mono fat 3.8g; poly fat 2.1g; protein 13g; carbohydrates 33g; fiber 7g; cholesterol 11mg; iron 6mg; sodium 245mg; calcium 115mg; sugars 5g.

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Sarah

06/20/2016

My husband and I both absolutely loved this recipe. It's one of those salads that is better than the sum of its' parts - and one of those parts is bacon!

The only slight disappointment for me was that it doesn't keep well, and with just the two of us in the house we rely on leftovers often for lunches and such. But I think if stored properly (dressed quinoa separated from veggies & herbs) it could work out ok to keep for a day or maybe two.

Overall, this will be a go-to weeknight recipe favorite for us.

Christopher

05/05/2016

I was so excited when I saw this recipe. I love everything in it and it looked like a perfect spring or summer salad.

The bottom line is that this has absolutely no flavor. It was a chore to finish my bowl, and I ended up throwing the rest of it away because it spoiled in the fridge, untouched. I doubled the bacon and it STILL wasn't enough.

If you're going to make this, I suggest quadrupling the dressing and adding to taste. And this is something from someone who loves the taste of plain salad.

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