Israeli Quinoa Salad with Pomegranate – Israel

While many people in America like breakfast for dinner, I happen to like dinner for breakfast. So when I got to Israel and saw that they had a number of dinner items for breakfast, I was beyond thrilled. In particular, one thing that they do there is to serve a variety of salads in tiny dishes. I saw them at breakfast, lunch and dinner. At a restaurant called Old Man and the Sea they actually give you 22 different little dishes to start, called Salatim, AND you can ask for 2nds, 3rds… etc! One of my favorites was Quinoa Salad with Pomegranate. Some days, the hotel we stayed at used red quinoa and some days regular quinoa. For this version, I used regular quinoa simply because I had some at home. The items that went into the various quinoa salads varied from day to day and place to place. Sometimes there was chopped up red or yellow pepper in them, sometimes more tomato or parsley. I would probably have added more parsley and some cilantro, but my husband is not a big fan. Some had TONS of cucumber, almost equal parts of quinoa and cucumber (I actually liked that a lot). Sometimes they were garnished with very tiny lettuce leaves called “mache.” Some versions had pomegranate seeds and some did not. Here is a basic recipe to get you started. Change it up as you like. I did add a little white vinegar, not pictured below, to give it a bit more tang. I loved this and could eat it every day. Scott too is a big quinoa fan and was thrilled that I found a way that I actually enjoy quinoa. This dish is GF, vegan and easy to make. For my first foray into Salatim, in addition to the quinoa salad with pomegranate I also served Moroccan carrot salad, red cabbage salad, hummus, cucumber salad and spanakopita.

Ingredients

• 1 C dry Quinoa (prepare according to package)
• 1/2 medium onion diced
• 1 English cucumber seeded and diced
• 2 Campari tomatoes, seeded and diced (about 1/2 C)
• 1/2 bunch parsley, chopped
• 10 dried apricots, diced
• 1/2 C craisins
• seeds from 1 pomegranate
• 2 T olive oil
• 4 T lemon juice
• 3 T white vinegar (optional – replace with lemon juice if you don’t want to use vinegar)
• 1 tsp salt
• pepper

Step-by-Step Directions

1.	Make quinoa according to package. (Pour 1 C quinoa in pot. Add 2 C water. Bring to a boil. Cover. Lower temperature. Simmer 15 min. Fluff. Cover. Let sit 10 min.)
2.	Dice 1/2 medium onion, 1/2 bunch parsley, 10 dried apricots. Seed and dice 1 English cucumber and 2 Campari tomatoes.
3.	Cut pomegranate in quarters. Over a small bowl, gently remove seeds by using thumbs. Break quarters into smaller sections to expose seeds. Discard the white membrane and peel.
4.	Transfer quinoa to a large bowl.
5.	Add all chopped ingredients, craisins and pomegranate seeds. Mix well.
6.	Add 4 T lemon juice, 2 T olive oil, 3 T white vinegar, 1 tsp salt and black pepper to taste. Mix well.
7.	Cover. Refrigerate 1-24 hours.
8.	Serve