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A simple Moroccan Quinoa Salad with blood oranges, almonds, olives, mint and a blood orange dressing. Pair this with Moroccan Salmon for a quick healthy meal.

Here’s a simple Moroccan Quinoa with beautiful blood oranges, almonds, olives, fresh mint and a Blood Orange Vinaigrette. Blood oranges are in season right now. Juicy and flavorful, they’ll be here through May, so make a point of picking a few up. They have a way of adding beauty and drama to any dish. Add them to salads, squeeze them into vinaigrettes, margaritas or marinades – or turn them into a luscious marmalade, or beautiful sorbet. Let their cheery aroma infuse you with delight….they are sunshine for the soul. This salad was created to go alongside this simple Moroccan Salmon, and together, the meal takes about 25 minutes.

A simple Moroccan Quinoa Salad with blood oranges, almonds, olives, mint and a blood orange dressing. Pair this with Moroccan Salmon for a quick healthy meal.

A simple Moroccan Quinoa Salad with blood oranges, almonds, olives, mint and a blood orange dressing. Pair this with Moroccan Salmon for a quick healthy meal.

A simple Moroccan inspired quinoa salad, perfect with Moroccan Salmon or Tofu

Ingredients

1 cup rinsed quinoa
1 ¾ cups water
pinch salt
2 green onions, sliced diagonally
¼ cup thinly sliced kalamata olives
3 blood oranges- divided
2 olive oil
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar (optional)
1/2 teaspoon sugar
cracked pepper and salt to taste
¼ cup toasted slivered or Marcona almonds
12 fresh mint leaves, torn

Instructions

Bring quinoa and water and pinch salt to a boil in a medium pot on the stove. Once boiling, cover and lower heat to low and cook 15 minutes.
In a medium bowl, add sliced green onions, sliced olives, and 2 blood oranges (peeled, sliced and cut into quarters). When quinoa is done, fluff with a fork and toss in the bowl with the oranges. Dress with 2-3 tablespoons olive oil, the zest of the remaining orange and its juice. If you don’t have a particularly juicy orange, add a splash of vinegar. Stir and taste. The olives with add quite bit of salt, so if you leave them out, be sure to add salt.
Scatter with toasted slivered almonds and fresh torn mint leaves. Serve with the Moroccan Salmon.
Note: To keep this vegan, coat two pieces of tofu with the spice mix of the Moroccan Salmon, and sear. Alternately, you could saute cooked chickpeas with the same Moroccan spices and crisp them up, and serve these over the salad, for a main course vegan version.

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