Pomegranate + Brussels Sprout Quinoa Salad
I have spent the past 3 weeks packing up our house, driving 10 minutes away and unpacking our stuff into the new house. Don't get me wrong, I am grateful to have found a house that gives the kids a big back yard, property for Jake and Bob to wonder, and a kitchen that I adore cooking in. I'm simply over all these boxes. For the first two weeks I worked 12 hours a day on getting us settled in. Now for the past week I have worked about 10 minutes a day on these boxes. Ugh.
In the mean time, I'm ignoring these boxes that have stock piled in my bedroom and making this delicious pomegranate and brussels sprout quinoa salad. I created this for The Fruit Company awhile back, but it has become a new favorite on our weekly salad rotation. Enjoy!
Pomegranate & Brussels Sprout Quinoa Salad
serves 4
¼ cup olive oil plus 2 tablespoons
13-15 brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 cup quinoa, rinsed
1 lemon, juiced
1 serrano chile, seeded, and chopped (*optional)
½ cup cilantro, chopped
½ cup mint, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped
½ cup pomegranate seeds
Measure 1 cup of quinoa and rinse thoroughly. In a medium saucepan add 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add 1 cup of quinoa and toast for 1 minute. Slowly add in a pinch of sea salt and 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat. Simmer for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, turn off the heat and let the quinoa rest for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork and set aside.
Over medium heat, warm up ¼ cup olive oil in a medium skillet. Add brussel sprouts, sea salt and freshly ground pepper and cook for 8-10 minutes, until golden. Stir in lemon juice and cumin, cook for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the quinoa, stir together. Gently combine the brussel sprout mixture, chile and herbs into the quinoa. Season with sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Top with pomegranate seeds.
