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:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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!