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Raise your hand if you could eat quinoa every day?? Now raise your hand if you actuallydo eat quinoa every day????. Guilty as charged.
Lucky for you I always have a steady flow of quinoa recipes ready to go in this little brain of mine, so you never have to worry about missing out on this fine ancient grain. Today we’re making a DELISH blood orange quinoa salad with all the fixins. Happy Tuesday, folks!
this RECIPE
Spring is in the airand I couldn’t be happier because let’s be honest, no other season is as magical as spring. Sure, school’s out for summer, and winter chills bring Christmas spirit. But spring ushers in the birth of a new season: flowers bloom, colorfulproduce pops up in farmer’s markets, and everyone is just overall happier because they’re finally defrosted.
Plus, April is my birthday month, so that mayhave something to do with it. 😉
Louisiana may be the #1 unhealthiest state in the country and going through a devastating financial crisis and dealing with all sorts of other stuff, but we damn sure know how to grow some fresh citrus. Two sets of my grandparents have grown satsumas, oranges, and grapefruits ever since I can remember. We always get bags upon bags of fresh citrus fruits during the winter and early spring.
No complaints about that, becausethey’rethe sweetest, juiciest, most delicious citrus fruitsever.My mom and I go through fresh satsumas like most people go through candy. I swear I could eat 10 a day (oh wait, I do).
When the crew wanted to bring you allsome fun spring recipes and citrus was mentioned, I was all like?because citrus fruits are so. dang. good. right now! Since I’m not at home, I unfortunately can’t have the hand-picked grapefruits and oranges from my grandparents. But I’m lucky to have some awesome farmer’s markets around me with the freshest stuff around!
Support your local farmers, yo.
I wanted to make a light dish that would be perfect for dinner and also for leftovers to pack for lunch. You guys know how much I love leftovers, so anytime a meal can be easily packed up in my school bag, it’s a winner!
The Almighty Quinoa is the base for the salad, with black beans for even more protein and fiber.I used blood oranges because I love the color and the markets have some delicious ones out right now, but I think this would be great with oranges or grapefruit, too! Throw in some choppedred cabbage, and walnuts and avocado for the healthy fats we all love, and dinner is served in 30 minutes. Boom.
Let’s see all the vegan goodiesthe gang cooked up with bright, fresh citrus fruits!
Alexa from Fooduzzi madeChewy Lemon Cookies with Coconut Icing and Pistachios. Shereally is the cookie queen!
Leah from Love Me, Feed Me made a beautifulRosemary Orange Galette with Chamomile Maple Syrup. Can we all just appreciate that drizzle?!
Kim from The Coconut Diaries baked someVegan Key Lime Pie Cookies. Plus, they’re gluten-, grain-, and dairy-free!
Giselle from Diary of an ExSlothmadeOrange Grapefruit Chia Seed Marmalade. Brb going spread this on everything.
I love teaming up with my ladies to bring you guys healthy recipes! And yes, cookies count as healthy today. 🙂
Your next mission: run, don’t walk, to your nearest farmer’s or produce market and grab ALL THE CITRUS. Good luck not eating all of them before you actually get to make one of these recipes, but I believe in you.
If you try this blood orange quinoa salad, post a picture on Instagram and tag me! I know you guys are going to love this light meal idea with the perfect amount of salty and sweet.
How to make:
Blood Orange Quinoa Salad + 4 Citrus Packed Recipes
Full of juicy blood oranges, protein-packed quinoa & black beans, & tons of veggies, this Blood Orange Quinoa Salad is perfect for a light dinner or lunch!
Prep Time:
10 mins
Cook Time:
15 mins
Author:
Emilie
Yield:
4-5 1x
Rating: 5 from 1 reviews
Print the recipe
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
- 1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 2 blood oranges, peeled and chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1 cup red cabbage, chopped
- 1/3 cup walnuts, chopped
- 1/2 cup cilantro, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup orange juice
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 ripe avocado, chopped
Instructions
- Rinse quinoa in a small mesh strainer. Heat a small saucepan over medium heat; add quinoa. Cook for 1-2 minutes until lightly toasted. Add 1 cup water; turn heat to high. Once boiling, cover and cook for 13-15 minutes, until fluffy.
- In a large bowl, add quinoa, black beans, oranges, cabbage, walnuts, and cilantro. Stir until ingredients are fully combined.
- In a small bowl, add orange juice, lime juice, olive oil, salt, garlic, and pepper. Whisk to combine. Pour over the salad mixture; stir until the dressing is evenly distributed.
- Gently fold in avocado. Stir to combine.
- Serve cold; top with additional cilantro, if desired.
Notes
If you don’t plan on eating the salad right after making, store the dressing separately and mix in right before eating.
Pin these vegan citrus packed recipes for later!
April 19, 2016
Tagged with:
Appetizers avocados beans black beans Dinner Gluten Free Lunch nuts quinoa Salads Sides Soy Free
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20 comments
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20 comments
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Kim says: I want to make this for my coworkers!! They're so anti-vegetables/color (especially cabbage) but I let them try my blood orange last week and they approved. I think this would be the perfect combo that they would enjoy. :D
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Emilie says: I don't see how people can not love fresh, beautiful produce!! This would definitely change their minds. :)
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Alexa [fooduzzi.com] says: Love this colorful recipe, Emilie! That purple is giving me all the feels :) Blood oranges are THE best ever - I'm like you, I can go through an entire bag in a few days. Definitely trying this out for dinner@
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Emilie says: The more colors, the better! Citrus is seriously nature's candy.
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Marina @ A Dancer's Live-It says: Sometimes I wish my family did cool things like grow our own produce, but I'm sure it's still a lot of work! Absolutely gorgeous photos Emilie, blood oranges are so pretty!
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Emilie says: Yes it is! They've been doing it for years. Thank you so much, Marina!
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Leah M @ love me, feed me says: This must be the prettiest quinoa salad in all the land! So much goodness packed in there too! Pretty sure I need to come to Louisiana before citrus season is over... Haha! I also need more quinoa in my life, it's been way tooooo long!
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Emilie says: Omg please come visit me!! Yasssss I swear I hoarde quinoa for fear of running out, haha. Now my boyfriend even loves it!
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Christina says: So gorgeous Emilie! I love a good quinoa salad. Hearty and light at the same time!
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Emilie says: Perfect for light spring meals! Quinoa is a winner every time.
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Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says: I'm pretty sure blood oranges are my favorite! Can't get enough and I keep stocking up since they aren't going to last much longer!
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Emilie says: Same here! I'm enjoying all the fresh citrus for as long as I possibly can.
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Emily @Sinful Nutrition says: I'm one of the rare healthy food bloggers that can't get on the quinoa train. I do hoewever adore blood oranges, so that alone makes me want to give it another go with this recipe!
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Emilie says: You can do it!! I believe in you. ;) All of the flavors are so fresh - you'd love it!
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Catherine @ foodiecology says: This may be borderline blasphemy, but I've never been a huge quinoa fan. This, however, looks phenomenal and could make a believer out of me.I loooovvvvee fresh citrus and can eat satsumas like candy, too. In fact, my high school (& the town it's in) is named, you guessed it, Satsuma. ;-)I imagine this would taste even better as leftovers. Now, if only I could find blood oranges in my local grocery!
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Emilie says: Whaaaat?! You definitely need to come to the quinoa side. :) I think I would love the town of Satsuma! Haha. This salad is so fresh - you need to try it!
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Stella @ Stellicious Life says: I LOVE citruses (especially blood oranges), you are truly lucky that your grandparents provide you with their own homegrown ones :-) Love how colourful this salad is, beautiful! And I'm sure it tastes light and fresh as well, perfect for a fresh spring lunch!
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Emilie says: The homegrown ones are always so sweet and juicy, and grown with love. :) This really is the perfect spring meal!
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Cassie says: I know that every single state has its own health problems, whether through obesity, air pollution, water pollution and heart disease rates, but that doesn't mean you can't counteract those negative generalities and be healthy on your own, and this quinoa salad is definitely a way to go! I don't actually eat quinoa every day, but I do eat it multiple times a week and it is so delicious and nutritious! I never tried putting blood oranges with it, though!
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Emilie says: I definitely try to spread the message of healthy everywhere I go! All the flavors in here are SO amazing. I hope you get to try it out!
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