Broccoli Microgreen-Quinoa Salad with Roasted Garlic Dressing

Yesterday I ran up to La Nay Ferme before I took my youngest to her fabulous art class to pick up my pot of broccoli microgreens.  I really, really, really love microgreens and broccoli microgreens are so good.  I thought about how I wanted to use them for my lunch yesterday.  It had been awhile since my last quinoa salad…so that’s what I did.  I went with a garlic dressing here.  You could swap it out for something else, but it works really well with the broccoli.  I worried that it would over-power the microgreens, but it didn’t.  I could still taste their delicate flavor.

If you can’t find microgreens, substitute sprouts.  Most grocery stores and health food stores carry sprouts.  If they don’t have broccoli sprouts, alfalfa or other sprouts will work just as well.

Broccoli Microgreen-Quinoa Salad with Roasted Garlic Dressing

Ingredients:

For salad:
2 cups cooked quinoa, cold or at room temperature
1/2 cup or more broccoli microgreens, washed and patted dry
a few tablespoons sliced green onions

For dressing:
2 large roasted garlic cloves (or toasted in a dry skillet for about 10 minutes)
2 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
4 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil or your choice (grapeseed, canola, sunflower)
1/4-1/2 tsp. agave nectar, optional
1/8 tsp. salt
1/8-1/4 tsp. Dijon mustard
white pepper, to taste

Instructions:

For salad:
Toss quinoa with broccoli microgreens and green onions.  Prepare dressing.

For dressing:
Use a large chef’s knife to smash the roasted garlic onto a cutting board.  Sprinkle the salt over the top and pressing down on the garlic with the side of the knife with your hand, make a paste.  Scrape the paste into a bowl and whisk in the white wine vinegar and mustard.  Pour the oil into the bowl in a slow, steady drizzle, while whisking constantly.  Taste and add agave, if desired.  Season with white pepper.

Pour dressing over the quinoa and microgreens.  Gently toss and allow to sit for a few minutes so the quinoa can absorb some of the dressing.  Serve cold or at room temperature.