This Quinoa Salad with Zucchini, Sweet Potato and Apricotsis perfect any time of year but a fabulous Passover dish as well.
Quinoa Salad with Zucchini, Sweet Potatoes and Apricots
This protein rich, vegan salad is hearty and filling enough to eat as a main course. If you can find Japanese sweet potatoes, use them. They add a complexity of flavor and texture that truly enhances the salad.
Equipment
- 1 2 quart saucepan
- 1 baking sheet
- 1 serving bowl
Ingredients
Salad Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa
- 1¾ cup water
- 1 medium sized zucchini
- 1 medium Japanese sweet potato or sweet potato
- 2 scallions
- ½ cup shelled pistachios
- ½ cup dried apricots
- ½ cup parsley + 1 tbsp for garnish
Dressing Ingredients
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice about 2 lemons
- 1¾ tsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp agave or other sweetener
- 1¼ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp chili flakes optional
Garnish
- 1 lemon cut into wedges
- parsley
Instructions
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 400 F.
- Line a baking sheet with a silicon sheet or parchment paper. Trim the end of the zucchini. Cut lengthwise into three to four ½ inch wide strips. Place on the baking sheet, flesh side up.
- Chop the sweet potato into small ½ inch dice. Place on the baking sheet with the zucchini. Sprinkle the vegetables with salt and pepper.
- Roast for 20-24 minutes until the sweet potatoes have cooked through. Once cooked, remove from the oven and let cool.
- While the vegetables are roasting, rinse and drain the quinoa. Place 1¾ cups of water into a 2 qt saucepan. Add the rinsed quinoa. Bring to a boil, cover, and then reduce to a simmer. Cook for about 15 minutes until all of the water is absorbed. Once cooked, remove to a large serving bowl and let cool.
- While the vegetables and quinoa are cooking, trim the ends of the scallions and thinly slice. Then roughly chop the pistachio nuts, apricots and parsley.
- In a small bowl or measuring cup mix the dressing ingredients including the chili flakes, if using. Pour them over the cooled quinoa and stir to mix.
- Chop the cooked zucchini into ½ inch pieces.
- Now add the zucchini, sweet potato, scallions, pistachios, dried apricots and parsley to the serving bowl. To finish, mix thoroughly to combine all of the ingredients.
- Garnish with lemon wedges and parsley.
Nutrition
Calories: 375kcalCarbohydrates: 64gProtein: 12gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gSodium: 780mgPotassium: 1037mgFiber: 9gSugar: 18gVitamin A: 9517IUVitamin C: 43mgCalcium: 106mgIron: 5mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
I like all the ingredients, but… did you test this? That is too much cumin even if you’re obsessed with cumin. I used 1 tsp and it was still too much. Zucchinis will turn to mush at 400°. They take about half as much time to cook as sweet potatoes. Roasting happens on the bottom rack in the oven and you won’t get any color without oil. If your entire recipe contains no oil or fat of any kind, it’s going to taste dry and unbalanced. I wanted to like this recipe but there’s just so many things wrong with it.