Recipe and photo from TexaSweet
This light, healthy salad features quinoa, Texas citrus and a spicy vegetable mix—all tossed in a dressing of citrus-infused olive oil and honey.
Serves 4
- 1 Texas Rio Star grapefruit
- 1 Texas orange
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 8 thin slices fresh ginger
- ¾ cup quinoa
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons honey
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 small serrano or jalapeño chile, minced
- 2 green onions (both white & green parts), minced
- 2 carrots, peeled & diced
- 2 tablespoons chopped, fresh cilantro leaves
Peel the grapefruit and orange with a vegetable peeler, taking care not to include the bitter white pith. Place peels in a small nonreactive saucepan and combine with the olive oil and ginger. Warm over medium heat. As soon as the oil starts to bubble, after about 2 minutes, remove from heat. Set aside, cover and steep for 30 minutes. Strain and reserve the oil.
Meanwhile, rinse the quinoa and cook according to the directions on the package. After cooking, set aside for 5 minutes. Next, transfer to a bowl, fluff with a fork and cool.
Divide the grapefruit and the orange into segments over a small mixing bowl, allowing the combined juices to dribble into the bowl. Place the grapefruit and orange segments into a large salad bowl and set aside. In another medium bowl, whisk 3 tablespoons of the combined juices with the vinegar, honey, salt and pepper. Gradually add 3 tablespoons of the reserved citrus oil, starting with a few drops and then adding the rest in a stream. Continue to whisk. This will create a slightly thick dressing.
Toss the quinoa, chiles, green onions, carrots and cilantro with the dressing. Next, add these combined ingredients to the bowl with the grapefruit and orange segments. Toss again and serve. For more Texas citrus recipes, go to www.texasweet.com.
TexaSweet is the Texas citrus growers’ marketing group,
