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Molded Holiday Salad

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  • Prep 20 min
  • Total 40 min
  • Ingredients 17
  • Servings 4
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Morena Cuadra Quinoa is the backbone of this salad, and it keeps the ingredients together, allowing you to arrange it in a mold. It goes very well with pork, but it’s also the perfect side for turkey or any type of meat you like to make. For this recipe, you can use every ingredient you may have handy – fresh, canned or frozen - which makes it very convenient to make in just minutes. Thanks to the fact that quinoa is a seed and not a cereal, it’s just perfect to serve at your Christmas or Thanksgiving dinner table.
Morena Cuadra
Updated Nov 12, 2015
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Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cup quinoa
  • 1/2 cup chopped ham
  • 1 can canned corn
  • 1 can young tender sweet peas
  • 1/2 cup red peppers, cut into small cubes
  • 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
  • 3 scallions, cut into thin slices
  • 1/2 cup pistachios, coarsely chopped
  • 4 dried figs, chopped
  • 4 green olives, chopped
  • Salt and pepper
  • Flax or Linseed sprouts (optional)
  • Lettuce

Dressing:

  • 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • 1 tablespoon carob syrup (other option is maple syrup)
  • Salt and pepper

Directions

  •  
    1
    Cook the quinoa in a pot, uncovered, with 2 1/2 cups of water and one teaspoon of salt. It will be ready in about 17 minutes. Let it cool completely.
  •  
    2
    To put the salad together, combine the cooked quinoa with the ham, corn, green peas, peppers, pomegranate, scallions, pistachios, figs and olives in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
  •  
    3
    Prepare a square mold – rectangular, round, ring, etc.- and lightly oil it with vegetable oil. Pour the quinoa salad into the mold, pressing down firmly so that it takes shape. If you wish, you can finish the salad there, cover with film wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.
  •  
    4
    Arrangement: Place a large plate over the mold containing the salad and turn it over. Carefully remove the mold to keep the salad from coming apart. Top with linseed sprouts, and place some lettuce leaves around the salad. Serve with the dressing on the side.
  •  
    5
    Dressing: In a bowl, combine the yogurt, mayonnaise, carob syrup, salt and pepper.

Expert Tips

  • tip 1
    Make different variations of this salad, using your favorite vegetables.
  • tip 2
    Add chopped grapes and diced apples.
  • tip 3
    You may add cubed avocado prior to serving.
  • tip 4
    You may use cashews, almonds or pecans, instead of pistachios.

Nutrition Information

No nutrition information available for this recipe

More About This Recipe

  • Morena Cuadra Quinoa is the backbone of this salad, and it keeps the ingredients together, allowing you to arrange it in a mold. It goes very well with pork, but it’s also the perfect side for turkey or any type of meat you like to make. For this recipe, you can use every ingredient you may have handy – fresh, canned or frozen - which makes it very convenient to make in just minutes. Thanks to the fact that quinoa is a seed and not a cereal, it’s just perfect to serve at your Christmas or Thanksgiving dinner table.
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