Moroccan Citrus Salad with Quinoa

Salad of baby spinach, orange slices, quinoa, and kalamata olives dressed in a Moroccan vinaigrette.

4.70 from 30 votes

Healthy meal-worthy salad of greens, citrus, kalamata olives and quinoa. And it can be ready in 15 minutes if you use frozen quinoa or have the quinoa already made in the refrigerator.

Prep Time20

Cook Time25

Total Time45

Course: Dinner, Salad, Vegan Dinner

Cuisine: American

Keyword: quinoa citrus salad

Servings:

Calories: 632kcal

Author: Susan Pridmore

Equipment

Dutch oven or other heavy-bottomed pot
fine mesh strainer
Chef's knife
Whisk

Ingredients

Citrus Salad

1 cup cooked quinoa
2 large oranges, see notes
4 cups arugula and spinach (or other greens) see notes
2 large shallots, peeled and thinly sliced lengthwise
20 pitted kalamata olives, halved

Moroccan Vinaigrette

2 tablespoons sherry wine vinegar
2 tablespoons orange juice
2 teaspoons sweet paprika, I use Pimenton de la Vera
¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
¼ teaspoon Kosher salt, to taste
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions

Cook up the quinoa, if you don't have any on hand and you're cooking it from seed. Use these directions for cooking a perfect pot of quinoa.
TIP: I typically either have cooked quinoa on hand or a bag of store-bought frozen quinoa in the freezer for a big time saver.
While the quinoa cooks, make the Moroccan Vinaigrette.
To do this, whisk together the sherry wine vinegar, orange juice and spices until spices and salt are dissolved. Whisk in the olive oil until emulsified. Set aside.
Slice off the tops and bottoms of the oranges. Set them on their flat bottoms, and carefully slice away the peel and pith, leaving the fruit completely intact. Slice the whole, peeled, oranges horizontally in ¼" slices or bite-sized pieces.
In a large bowl, combine the arugula and other greens you're using with the cooked quinoa, olives, and shallot. Add the orange slices and drizzle ½ the dressing over the mixture.
Toss and add remaining dressing as desired.

Notes

TIPS

Make this dish in 15 minutes by making the vinaigrette and quinoa in advance. I almost always have either a jar of quinoa already cooked tucked into the refrigerator, or a package of store-bought frozen quinoa in the freezer.
Any seedless orange works great in this salad. I recommend navel oranges, blood oranges, tangerines, sumo mandarins, or satsuma.
The peppery flavor of arugula is a winning combination with the quinoa and oranges, but can be combined with other greens, such as baby spinach, baby kale, or baby Swiss chard.
Kick up the flavor even further:
1. Cook the quinoa in orange juice, and a pinch each of salt and paprika.
2. Stir the zest of 1 lime into the quinoa when it's cooked.
3. Add ¼ cup chopped fresh mint leaves to the greens

Nutrition