This quinoa salad comes with a Dijon mustard vinaigrette (salad dressing) and lots of minty vibes. It feels very fresh and something I just randomly thought of. Mint is usually my thing in my drinks-not my salad so this was a nice change. It is also a great way to use up leftover quinoa. Quinoa that is at least a day old would work best because it gives the salad a crispier texture. The mint also balances out the acidity from the red wine vinegar, lemon juice and mustard.
Whenever it comes to any recipe requiring mustard I always go for Dijon mustard. Yellow mustard works for this recipe but Dijon mustard is packed with more flavor. Dijon mustard is made from brown and black mustard seeds which pack more spice than the yellow mustard seeds in regular mustard. Also, for this recipe I used red wine vinegar because it is also more flavored than white or apple cider vinegar. You can use regular vinegar if red wine vinegar is hard to find for you.
Refrigerate this salad for a few hours prior to swerving to bring out the flavors in it. You can’t really taste the vinaigrette until it is cold so this is quite mandatory. This is great eaten on its own as a lunch or served with your favorite protein like barbecue ribs.
Ingredients
Salad
1 cup day-old cooked quinoa
3 Roma tomatoes, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
2 cups arugula, rinsed and drained
Mustard vinaigrette
2 tablespoons mustard (I recommend Dijon mustard)
1 teaspoon table salt
2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1/4 cup virgin oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk the mustard, virgin oil, lemon juice, black pepper, salt, Italian seasoning, and red wine vinegar together until smooth.
- Mix with the leftover quinoa, arugula, onion, tomato and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.
- Serve this solo or combine with other main dishes.