Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Avocado, Fava, & Quinoa Salad

First off, quinoa is pronounced "keen-wah". Secondly, my picture is not as pretty as the one in the magazine.
I found this recipe in the February 2012 issue of InStyle magazine but it's originally from Plenty: Vibrant Vegetable Recipes from London's Ottolenghi by Yotam Ottolenghi.

Cook 1 cup quinoa and rinse under cold water; let dry. Blanch 1 lb. frozen shelled fava beans (or edamame) in boiling water for 6 minutes. Segment 2 lemons into a bowl, squeezing in juice from the membranes and from a third lemon. Toss in 2 thinly sliced avocados. Add quinoa, beans, 2 minced garlic cloves, a large handful of thinly sliced radishes, finely chopped basil, 1 tbsp ground cumin (with its nutty, peppery flavor), 1/3 cup olive oil, 1/4 tsp chili flakes, and salt and pepper. Toss gently. Garnish with more finely chopped basil.

So what I did to make this recipe easier for me, was to follow all the microwave instructions for the quinoa and edamame (pronounced "ed-uh-mommy") beans. The frozen package of beans ended up only being about 1/2 to 2/3 cup which is fine by me, because honestly, I think they're very plain and boring. I did also omit the radishes because I don't care for their taste either and then I just used dried basil instead of fresh. See, I like cooking that doesn't involve too much work, lets me improvise, and is healthy yet doesn't taste like grass.
And in case you might be a bit confused about where to purchase edamame and quinoa, I found the edamame in small, individual packets at Costco and I found the quinoa at a health food store (which ended up selling more per volume and at a cheaper price than the regular grocery store).
Overall, I really liked this dish but it did take me a while to prepare everything so make this on a lazy day. Try to pair this with chicken or white fish, such as cod, and eat it on a hot day because it's perfect for summer.

No comments: