Moroccan Citrus Salad with Quinoa

Name: Moroccan Citrus Salad with Quinoa
Prep time: 20 min
Ingredients: 1 cup cooked quinoa; 2 large oranges, (see notes); 4 cups arugula or other greens, (see notes); 2 large shallots, (peeled and thinly sliced lengthwise); 20 kalamata olives, (halved); 2 tablespoons sherry wine vinegar; 2 tablespoons orange juice; 2 teaspoons sweet paprika, (I use Pimenton de la Vera); 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper; 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, (to taste); 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

January 21, 2020 45 Comments

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Moroccan citrus salad of oranges and kalamata olives dressed in a spicy vinaigrette. Add peppery arugula and quinoa for a vegetarian main dish.

Citrus is at its peak right now, and brightening hearty winter salads is one of the best ways to use it. Like this Moroccan Citrus Salad that I love to make all winter, or this Sumo Citrus Salad with Cauliflower, Olives and Feta. As note: This recipe was originally posted in January 2012, and updated January 2020.

Why Use Citrus Now

Variety

Grapefruit, oranges, lemons, limes are the most common. But, in winter, they’re joined by so many friends. Look for mandarin oranges, tangerines, tangelos, sumo, satsuma and Buddha’s hand. Pomelo, closely related to the grapefruit, is considered the largest citrus. It offers a sweet, mild grapefruit flavor. Kumquats are unusual in that their rind is sweet, while the pulp is sour (although some kumquat strains boast a sweeter pulp).

Flavor

At their peak, citrus is at its sweetest, juiciest, and most flavorful. Many citrus can taste more sour, bitter or bland when harvested at other times of the year than now.

Nutrition

We all know citrus is loaded with vitamin C, and may shorten a cold. But they’re also loaded with potassium, provide fiber, and are heart healthy. For bonus points: citrus, when added to nutritious greens, makes the green’s nutrition more bioavailable. So, next time you’re choosing some kale, swiss chard, or collards, think about adding citrus to the mix.

Ingredient Tips

The oranges can be any seedless variety, such as navel, blood oranges, sumo mandarins, satsuma or tangerines.
The peppery flavor of arugula is a great foil for citrus and quinoa, but the arugula can be combined with other greens. Good examples are spinach, which I used, baby kale or baby Swiss chard.

Make This Moroccan Citrus Salad in Less Than 15 Minutes

Make the vinaigrette ahead of time, and either cook raw quinoa ahead or use frozen quinoa. I almost always use frozen cooked quinoa and steam it in a little orange juice for extra flavor.

Kick Up the Flavor

If you want to kick up the flavor even more:

Toss 1/4 cup chopped mint leaves with the greens.
Cook the quinoa with orange juice and stir in the zest of 1 lime when it’s cooked.

Tips for the Omnivores

Sauté some shrimp dusted with paprika, salt and pepper.

If you want to move to a more vegetarian diet, but not sure the best steps to take, join the Monthly Vegetarian Meals Challenge. Each month I’ll post some tips – great plant protein sources, must-haves for the vegetarian pantry, ways to build flavor, and more. Additionally, we tackle 1 – 3 seasonal recipes tied to the theme that month. Subscribe to Monthly Vegetarian Meals Challenge.

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3.4 from 5 votes