Asparagus Pecan Quinoa Salad with a Maple-Mustard Dressing

So, are you tired of all the quinoa yet? Or the salads?

No? Good, me neither. Not yet, at least. The week of salads continues!

One of my foodie goals in Colombia was to munch my way through quinoa and maybe bring some cheap quinoa back home with me.

Turns out I couldn’t do that in Colombia. Quinoa is hard to find and when you find it, it isn’t any cheaper than what I can buy from my local favourite health store. Most Colombian locals had no clue what quinoa was.. except for the sole vegan I met (hi Juan!).

I obviously went to the wrong country. Apparently, Bolivia is where it is at. Not only for the cheap and plentiful quinoa, but also for the amazing salt flats, jungle hikes, glacier climbs and vibrant city life.  We loved asking other travellers about their favourite places to see in South America and Bolovia kept popping up. It is now on our ever-growing list of countries Rob and I want to visit… along with Russia, Ukraine, Indonesia, Vietnam, Brazil, Jordan, Nepal, India, gosh you name it. Although Rob’s covered most of South-east Asia and Australia, he is willing to return with me. 😉

My latest kick is adding quinoa to vegetable sides to make it a more sustaining meal, and here I go again with this salad. This would be a delightful salad without the quinoa, too, as it highlights the crisp asparagus and colourful baby greens with some crunch pecans. The dressing, a maple-mustard flavoured one, definitely brings the salad together with the tang from the soy sauce, the sweetness from the maple syrup and the deeper flavour from the mustard.

This is my submission to this week’s Summer Salad Sundays, to this week’s Wellness Weekend, to this month‘s Simple and in Season, to Cookbooks Sundays and to Deb for this week’s Souper Sundays.

Asparagus Pecan Quinoa Salad with a Maple-Mustard Dressing
Adapted from Radiance 4 Life

2 cups asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 cup quinoa, well rinsed
1 cup vegetable broth
4 cups baby greens
3 tbsp pecans, toasted

1.5 tablespoons yellow mustard
1 tablespoon maple syrup (or less, add to taste)
1.5 teaspoons water
1.5 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon tamari
1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar

1. Place the quinoa in a medium-sized pot over medium heat and toast until fragrant, about 3-5 minutes.  Add the broth, cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer until the water has been absorbed and the quinoa is tender, about 15-20 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, steam the asparagus for about 5 minutes, or until bright green and crisp-tender.

3. Continue to prepare the dressing by combining the mustard, maple syrup, water, oil, tamari and cider vinegar.

4. Combine the asparagus, and quinoa and stir together well. For the salad, plate quinoa overtop baby greens, sprinkle with the dressing and top with toasted pecans. Serve warm, at room temperature, or cold.

Serves 2-3.