Roasted Brussels Sprout Quinoa Salad (gluten free, vegan)
Roasted Brussels Sprout Quinoa Salad
I recently made this vegan side dish as a “main course” for a good friend whom is vegan, and dared to trust me serving her dinner and libations! It’s gluten free, and could be a great addition to any meal, especially around Thanksgiving.
Us carnivores found it to be a perfect side dish to roasted chicken. I would have served it stuffed it in 1/2 roasted squash, but we also made a delicious Butternut Squash soup, and I didn’t want to “over squash” the evening. 🙂
The quick lemon-shallot dressing is the kicker… but don’t add too much mustard (I always over mustard things), here it just needs the 2 small teaspoons.
- 1 pound brussels sprouts, quartered
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 cup quinoa of choice
- Sea Salt and Pepper (to taste)
- 1/2 cup dried apricots (2 ounces)
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 small shallot, minced
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon honey (or sugar if strict vegan)
- 3/4 cup slivered almonds
- 1/4 cup chopped parsley
- Preheat the oven to 425°. In a large bowl, toss the brussels sprouts with 1 tablespoon of the oil and season with salt and pepper. Spread the brussels sprouts on a baking sheet with parchment paper (easy clean up) and roast for about 25 minutes, stirring once, until tender and charred in spots; let cool completely.
- Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, cover the quinoa with 2 cups of water. Add a large pinch of salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Cover and cook over low heat until the water has been absorbed and the quinoa is tender, about 15 minutes. Spread the quinoa out on a plate and let cool completely.
- In a heatproof bowl, cover the apricots with hot water and let soak until plumped, about 10 minutes. Drain the apricots and cut them into 1/4-inch dice.
- In a small bowl, whisk the vinegar with the shallot, mustard, agave and the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil. Season the vinaigrette with salt and pepper.
- In a large bowl, toss the brussels sprouts with the quinoa, apricots and almonds. Add the vinaigrette and parsley and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper and serve.
Keep warm, or serve at room temperature- both ways are wonderful.
