Fresh Turmeric and Cranberry Quinoa Salad, Inspired by Whole Foods

A few years ago, I discovered a fabulous salad in the Whole Foods prepared foods case: Israeli Couscous Salad with Cranberries and Pecans.  I think I was initially attracted to the salad because of its bright yellow (from turmeric) and red (from cranberries) colors.  And so I tasted it.  Yumm.  So simple but a perfect combination of texture, herbs, citrus, and onion.  No part of the salad was too overwhelming; all the ingredients were in perfect harmony.  Having made this discovery, I wanted to share the salad with everyone!  Unfortunately my mother is allergic to nuts, so I could only show her how pretty it was...  But then one day, after having purchased this salad several times (it makes the perfect beach-day bring-along lunch treat) I made it my mission to recreate the salad at home nut-free and have my mom try it.  I stealthily looked at the ingredients list in the case at Whole Foods and was prepared to experiment until I got the recipe just right.  As a starting point, I decided to Google the salad to see if I could get some hints.  To my delight, someone on Epicurious - another devoted fan of this salad - had already done all the trial-and-error work for me...there it was, a promising copy-cat recipe for the Whole Foods couscous salad.

I excitedly purchased my ingredients and followed the recipe diligently.  I tried the final product.  Yuck.  It had absolutely no flavor.  My mom suggested I add in some more of the herbs and turmeric used in the recipe.  Nope, still didn't work.  And despite the teaspoons and teaspoons of ground turmeric I added, the couscous was still rather pale...not the beautiful yellow color on display at Whole Foods.  Frustrated, I shoved the salad into the fridge.  I'll deal with it tomorrow, I thought.  I couldn't help but feel like I had failed...how did Whole Foods do it??

The next day, having regained my composure, I took the salad out of the fridge.  Magic had happened overnight.  Suddenly, the salad was bursting with the yellow color and the delicious flavor I so fondly had in my mind of the authentic Whole Foods version.  It turns out, the salad just needed some time to sit and ponder its salad-ness.  So that's the only problem with this salad...you have to make it in advance.  The solution: just make a giant batch or double batch and eat it throughout the week...caution: you may have to fight over the last serving.

While I avoid making the same thing multiple times, this is a salad I keep coming back to.  It's too good not to.  However, this time around, I decided to shake things up a bit.  First of all, in an attempt to use up all the items in my pantry before I graduate college, I used some quinoa I had instead of going out and purchasing Israeli couscous.  Second, I used fresh turmeric instead of ground, dry turmeric.  Fresh turmeric is something I only discovered a few months ago, and I haven't used it much yet, but I am absolutely fascinated by this crazy root.  It looks like a piece of ginger root on the outside, but when you peel it, you are greeted by the most incredibly bright orange color.  Beware, the color is a potent stain; your fingers will turn slightly orange for a little while...a small price to pay for having the opportunity to play with such a fun ingredient.  Third, I added sweet potato chunks.  Why?  a) I had a sweet potato b) Sweet potatoes are also a gorgeous color c) I love sweet potatoes and think they should be everywhere (well, that's an exaggeration perhaps, but I really do love them).

Just so colorful...makes me smile!

Fresh Turmeric and Cranberry Quinoa, Inspired by Whole Foods

Ingredients:

• 1 cup quinoa
• scant 2 cups water
• 1 inch knob of fresh turmeric, peeled and grated*
• 1 sweet potato (I used a garnet yam), chopped into bite-size chunks
• zest of 1 orange
• juice of half an orange
• 1.5 tbsp red wine vinegar (or champagne vinegar, etc.)
• 1/2 tsp dried terragon
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 2 large scallions, sliced thinly (white and light green parts)
• 3 tbsp canola oil
• 1 cup dried cranberries (if they are whole cranberries, chop them up slightly)
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. In a small saucepan, bring the quinoa, water, and grated turmeric to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for about 15 minutes.  Remove from the heat and let it sit, cover on, for 5-10 minutes.
2. In a large saute pan, heat a splash of canola oil.  Add the sweet potato chunks and a dash of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes until you have a little color on the chunks.  Then, cover the pan and let the sweet potatoes cook until tender, checking every few minutes and adding a splash of water if necessary lest they burn.
3. In a large bowl, mix together the orange zest, juice, vinegar, herbs, and scallions.  Slowing whisk in the canola oil.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Once the quinoa has cooled a bit, add it to the bowl with the dressing.  Toss well.  Add the sweet potatoes and cranberries and toss to combine.
5. Let the salad sit for a day before eating it.  Trust me, it needs this time for the flavors to meld together!  Once the salad has had time to sit, check the seasonings and adjust accordingly.
6. If you're looking for some toppings, toasted almonds, pistachios, or pecans are a sublime accompaniment! 

*If you can't find fresh turmeric root - but try to because it's so cool! - then just substitute 1-2 tsp dried turmeric, adding it in with the herbs in the dressing instead of the initial cooking water.

It's true what they say: you taste with your eyes before you taste with your tongue!

This is the perfect salad to bring along to work or to the beach or to just eat on your deck at home.  It would also make a dashing potluck contribution...and you would be sure to receive lots of compliments!

In other happy news...I finished my last undergraduate final exam and will be graduating in 10 days!