Quinoa Artichoke Salad
Artichokes scare me. I am never sure which parts of them I am supposed to eat.
Every time I go to a restaurant and they have artichokes, I order them because they truly are one of my favorite things. The problem is, I sort of feel like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman. I have basically no clue how to eat them. And cooking them? Less of a clue.
Where is Hector Elizondo when I need him?
Do I eat the “tail” or not? What about the leaves that are tough? Should I endlessly chew them like an old piece of gum, grab the nearest bottle of water to wash them down and chug like I’m at a frat party, or shoot it out across the room like Julie’s oyster and hope that we have a waiter who can catch like Yogi Berra?
What would Hector advise?
Since he is generally nowhere to be found (nor is Richard Gere for that matter, but for the record, I have been told by a sales clerk that they had “nothing that would work for me, so I should try someplace else” –just my luck that that is the one and only thing Julia and I have in common), I generally stick to using the pre-cooked artichokes at home.
Which work out just fine in this recipe. But I still wouldn’t mind Richard Gere climbing up a fire escape to bring me flowers. Just saying.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup tri-color quinoa, rinsed and cooked in 1 cup vegetable broth, cooled
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 4 teaspoons lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- salt to taste
- cooked artichokes (if using canned or jarred, use water packed)
- 2-3 good sized radishes
Directions:
- In a small jar or bowl, combine the zest, lemon juice, oil and salt. Shake or whisk to combine. Pour half the mixture over quinoa and mix to combine.
- To serve, pack a 3/4 cup measuring cup with the quinoa, put a plate over the top and turn upside down. Tap the measuring cup on the bottom to dislodge the quinoa and carefully remove the cup. Slice the artichokes and arrange around the unmolded quinoa tower. Grate the radishes to garnish, then drizzle the remaining dressing over the artichokes, radishes and quinoa as well if you’d like.
This recipe will make 2 of the 3/4 cup quinoa towers.
Enjoy!
