Roasted Broccoli and Quinoa Salad with Quick-Pickled Raisins

Thank you, guys, for pointing out some technical difficulties with my last post. Everything should be working fine now, so don’t miss your chance to win a new cookbooks and try out a fabulous recipe for Cuban beer-infused black beans.

Hopefully I haven’t beaten roasted cauliflower to death yet as it is my favourite way to eat it. But, have you tried roasting broccoli yet?

Because, this was so revolutionary that a stranger came up to me at a grocery store, as I was picking out a head of broccoli. Have you tried roasting broccoli? OH MY GOSH. SO GOOD!

In my head, I was thinking: Yes, of course, I have tried it. Broccoli is great roasted! While you could just roast the head, I have got you covered with more creative options: a delicious Forty Clove Chickpeas and Broccoli and even atop a Roasted Veggie and Kale Pizza (with a quinoa-bean crust).

But it is true. Roasting broccoli doesn’t happen nearly enough. We usually opt to steam it so I decided to roast this newest head. While you can simply roast broccoli with nothing more than a touch of oil with some salt and pepper, I dusted it with curry powder first and then broiled it until it was slightly charred and tender. I then added it to some pan-roasted tomatoes and carrots, quinoa, fresh arugula and toasted cashews topped with the piece de resistance: quick-pickled raisins conferring a salty-sweet-acidy tang, nicely balancing the whole dish. The recipe inspiration came from Joe Yonan’s Eat Your Vegetables and his original recipe is for a single serving. This would be way too much work for a single meal, so I doubled it. Furthermore, I recommend doubling it again to last a few more meals as you’ll love the mix of flavours.

Have you ever tried roasted broccoli?

This is my submission to this week’s Souper Sundays and this month’s No Croutons Required.

Curried Roasted Broccoli and Quinoa Salad with Quick Pickled Raisins
Adapted from Eat Your Vegetables

1 large head of broccoli
1 tbsp coconut oil or your choice of oil
1 tsp Madras curry powder (I used Penzey’s sweet blend)
Sea salt
2 clove garlic, chopped
8 large cherry tomatoes, quartered (I forgot to chop them)
1 large carrot, scrubbed and cut into 1/2-inch slices
1/2 cup mix of red and white quinoa, rinsed
scant 1 cup water
4 tbsp unsalted, raw cashews
2 cups tightly packed arugula leaves, chopped
1 tbsp Quick-Pickled Raisins (see below)

1. Turn the oven broiler on, with a rack in the closest position to the flame or element.

2. Cut the florets off the broccoli head. Peel the stem and cut the stem and the florets into 1/2-inch pieces. Drizzle with 1 teaspoon of the olive oil, sprinkle with the curry powder and a little salt, and broil until they are lightly browned, watching carefully so they don’t burn.

3. Pour the remaining 2 teaspoons of olive oil into a small saucepan; place the pan over medium heat. When the oil shimmers, add the garlic, tomatoes, and carrot, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes collapse. Stir in the quinoa, water, and a generous sprinkling of salt. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the quinoa has swelled, absorbed the water and become just tender, 15 minutes or so. Remove the pan from the heat.

4. While the quinoa is cooking, sprinkle the cashews into a small skillet over medium-high heat. Cook, shaking the pan frequently, until the cashews have darkened and become fragrant, just a few minutes. Immediately transfer them to a plate to cool; if you leave them to cool in the pan, they can burn. Once they are cool, chop them.

5. Let the quinoa rest for a few minutes, then stir in the arugula and raisins. Transfer to a bowl, top with the broiled broccoli and cashews, and eat.

Serves 2 (please double or quadruple!)

Quick Pickled Raisins

1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup apple cider or white wine vinegar
1/4 cup sugar (I used 2 tbsp agave)
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1. Put the raisins in a pint jar.

2. Combine the vinegar, sugar and crushed red pepper in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, turn off the heat, and pour over the raisins. Let cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate the raisins in their liquid for up to 2 months.

Makes about 1/2 cup.