Recipe: Minty Arugula Salad With Lime Dressed Quinoa And Grapefruit

If you've got loads of arugula in the garden right now like we do, this is a tasty and unique salad, full of fresh summer flavors like mint and lime. Quinoa provides protein and a nice crunch, making this a complete meal for a light lunch or supper - or serve as a side-dish with Wednesday's recipe of pan-fried Balsamic Orange Salmon!

Minty Arugula Salad With Lime Dressed Quinoa And Grapefruit
(Serves 4.)

Ingredients:

1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tsp honey
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 shallot, minced
salt and black pepper to taste
4 cups baby arugula leaves, cleaned and dried
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
1/4 cup dried cranberries (optional)
1/2 grapefruit, peeled and sectioned

Directions:

• Put quinoa in a dry skillet over medium heat and toss gently until fragrant.  It should smell slightly nutty; remove from heat.
• In a large saucepan, add water and bring to a boil, then turn heat down to low.  Add salt and slowly stir in toasted quinoa. Keep heat on low, cover saucepan, and cook for 15 minutes. Fluff with a fork and dump into a bowl to cool.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the lime juice, olive oil, honey, garlic, and shallot, taste and add salt and black pepper to taste, stirring well. 
• Stir 3/4 of this dressing into the cooled quinoa, setting the remaining dressing aside.
• In a separate large bowl, toss together the arugula, mint, and cranberries (if using).
• To serve, using 4 chilled salad plates, divide the arugula mixture onto each salad plate, then top each serving with even amounts of quinoa mixture and grapefruit. Finish by drizzling each salad with equal amounts of the remaining dressing.