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Crispy quinoa and asparagus salad with coriander cashew cream

When crisped up, quinoa brings a very different swagger to a dish, an aggressive crunch, and a smoky intensity. I snacked on them, they tasted almost of potato chips. You could add different spices to really bring interest to a salad.

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A bowl of salad with quinoa, spinach, green beans, and a creamy green dressing, with a spoon on the side.

The coriander (or cilantro) cashew cream is one of those sauces that should be considered ‘repertoire’. By that, I mean, you could make it with whatever herbs you have in your fridge, and you could make a batch on the weekend or at the beginning of the week, and use it for any number of dishes. Here’s some ideas:

serve it as a ‘dippy salad’, as a base for roasted potatoes or cauliflower
as a sauce with roasted broccoli and chickpeas
stir it through lentils
drizzled over roasted eggplant
as a pasta sauce (you may need to loosen it up with some pasta cooking water)

Crispy quinoa and asparagus salad with coriander cashew cream

Serves

Ingredients

200 g quinoa
480 ml vegetable stock or water
extra virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon garlic or onion powder
½ teaspoon paprika
salt and black pepper
450 g (1 bunch) asparagus, woody ends removed and cut diagonally into 1-inch/2.5cm pieces
70 g baby spinach leaves
½ lemon
handful coriander/cilantro leaves, for serving

Spicy coriander cashew cream

150 g raw cashews
30 g coriander/cilantro, stems and leaves roughly torn
1 garlic clove, roughly chopped
1/2 to 1 jalapeño pepper, roughly chopped
180 ml vegetable stock or water
salt and black pepper
½ lemon

Instructions

Place the quinoa and vegetable stock or water in a medium saucepan (if using water, season with 1 teaspoon of salt). Bring to the boil, reduce the heat to medium–low, cover and cook until the quinoa is translucent and tender, and the liquid has been absorbed, about 15 to 18 minutes.
Transfer the quinoa to a baking sheet and spread it out into an even layer. Cool for 10 to 15 minutes. (If you are prepping ahead, cook the quinoa a day ahead and keep in an airtight container in the fridge. Fridge cooled quinoa tends to be drier, and hence will deliver crispier results!).
Heat oven to 425˚F / 220˚C.
Once the quinoa is cool, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the onion or garlic powder, paprika and season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and a big pinch of black pepper. Toss to coat the quinoa well and then press it out into a single layer. Roast until the quinoa is golden and crispy, 20 to 25 minutes, giving it a stir every 7 or 8 minutes to encourage even browning. Check often to make sure it doesn’t burn. Cool for 10 minutes.
Heat a medium skillet on medium high heat. When hot, drizzle with olive oil and add the asparagus, season with a pinch of salt and black pepper. Toss constantly until the asparagus is bright green and crisp-tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
Make the spicy coriander/cilantro cashew cream: Place the cashews, coriander/cilantro, garlic, jalapeño, vegetable stock or water, 1/2 teaspoon salt, a big pinch of black pepper and the juice of 1/2 lemon into a small blender or food processor and puree until completely smooth. Taste and season with more salt and pepper if needed.
Transfer the quinoa to a large salad bowl or serving vessel. Add the spinach, asparagus, squeeze over the lemon juice and drizzle with olive oil and toss to combine. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. Drizzle the spicy coriander cashew cream on top and finish with coriander leaves.