Making this salad felt a bit like painting a picture.
You see, as I was cooking the black quinoa, I spotted my big bowl ripe plums out of the corner of my eye. I thought their bright reddish color would look so pretty against the beautifully textured, black quinoa. Then I imagined how lovely the soft green color of an avocado would would look against the red and black. And I knew the purple curves of the onion would be dazzling.
A bit of lettuce for depth (and good measure ;-)), plus the flavor and color from Meyer lemons to balance everything, and voilà — a gorgeous (and delicious) painting!
Even just a bowl of whole plums is pretty.
So much beauty!
Enjoy!
- Zest of 1 medium to large Meyer Lemon
- 2 tablespoons fresh Meyer lemon juice
- 1-1/2 teaspoons honey
- 1 teaspoon grainy mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1-1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1-1/2 cups cooked black quinoa
- 4 medium-sized plums washed, dried, and cut into about 8 wedges each
- 1 ripe but firm medium-sized avocado sliced and then cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1/3 cup thinly sliced red onion
- 1 cup packed mixed baby greens
- Freshly ground black pepper
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In a small bowl, combine the lemon zest, juice, honey, salt and mustard. Gradually add the oil, whisking all the while. Set aside.
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In a large serving bowl, combine the quinoa, plums, avocado, onion and greens.
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Drizzle the dressing over the salad, toss to combine and crack pepper on top and serve.
The quinoa should be made at least a couple of hours ahead of time so it can cool completely. (I usually make a large amount at once and use it over a period of several days, in a few different recipes.) Cook the quinoa according to the package instructions — typically you mix 1 part quinoa with 2 parts water, bring to a boil, cover, reduce the heat to low and cook for 15 minutes.
I love the look of the black quinoa, but you can use any color. And likewise, Meyer lemons are my preference, but any lemon will still be delicious.
Please note that the prep time does not include cooking the quinoa.
Just what I want for dinner!
Oh my goodness, that’s gorgeous! I’ve never seen all of that paired together before, and not only does it look amazing, it sounds delicious too. I will definitely be trying this!
Thanks so much, Ruta. 😀
Valentina – this is beautiful and such a unique combination of flavors. I love the versatility of quinoa, and of course anything with avocados steals my heart!
You just know if something looks that beautiful, it has to be delicious.
Thank you, Jeri! 🙂
What a beautiful dish. The combination of flavors and textures is so enticing!
Thanks so much, Adri. I hope you try it!
We had this tonight and it was delicious!! Thank you! You know I’m always after fresh and simple recipes. – Kaye
Kaye, so happy you enjoyed this. So fabulous that you have a plum tree!