Quinoa and Parsley Salad (Fig Balsamic & Tuscan Herb Olive Oil)

We have made a similar recipe with kale, but have recently fallen in love with the tangy flavor of Italian parsley and thanks to a great farmer friend who grows it organically and profusely, we can happily integrate it into more recipes. With Italian parsley, we elected to use our Tuscan herb olive oil to really bring the taste of Italy to this dish.

Start with a cup of cooked and cooled quinoa. For extra flavor add a bit of chicken or veggie broth to your water. My favorite brand is “Better Than Boullion”. I add about 1 tablespoon to the water. Cool and toss your quinoa as soon as it is done so it does not get sticky.

Put the cooled and tossed quinoa into a large mixing bowl.
Add a cup of finely chopped Italian parsley ... do not scrimp on this, more is better! There should look to be equal parts of the quinoa and the parsley and maybe even a bit more parsley.

Then add the goodies:

• 1/3 cup of coursely chopped raw walnuts,

• 1/3 cup of crumbled blue cheese,

• and a generous handful of dried fruit (cranberries, golden raisins, dates or even dried figs.)

Make a dressing of equal parts fig balsamic vinegar and Tuscan herb olive oil and whisk to form a thick emulsion. The quinoa soaks up the dressing so you will want a good amount. For this volume I would use about 1/3 cup of each.

Toss the ingredients and then stir in the dressing and serve cold.

Subtitition: If you want a brighter more citrusy salad, use lemon olive oil or EVOO with lemon zest instead of Tuscan herb olive oil.