Broccoli Quinoa Salad with Tahini Dressing

This is one of the few recipes that I came up with years ago, entirely on my own, and still make regularly today. I really like putting lemon juice on my broccoli, so this is basically a more substantial version of a straight vegetable side dish. It's great as a side, but sometimes I eat it as a main. Tahini is delicious!

First, get your quinoa cooking. You can use any color quinoa, but I prefer white because its outer shell/skin/coating is softer.

While the quinoa is cooking, start toasting your almonds (if you're starting with raw almonds). Just place them in a dry pan over medium-low heat. Shake them around often. Getting them nicely browned can take awhile, but when they start browning, they can burn quickly, so keep a close eye on the pan!

Next, chop up your broccoli and steam it in a pot with a small amount of water at the bottom. Don't overcook it! Mushy broccoli is literally the worst.

Finally, in the midst of everything, make your dressing! It's just four ingredients: olive oil, lemon juice, tahini, and salt. You can add some water if you think it needs to be thinned out. Taste the dressing and adjust everything to your liking.

Mix the broccoli and quinoa together and add the dressing. It will look like a lot of dressing, but quinoa and broccoli have a knack for making dressing disappear. Sometimes next-day leftovers need a little extra lemon juice, salt, and maybe tahini.

Chop up the almonds and other toppings, add to the salad, and mix.

Original recipe by me!

For the salad:
1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
1 medium head of broccoli, cut into bite-size pieces
1/4 cup toasted almonds (about 20)
3 green onions, diced
1/4 cup parsley, chopped (optional)

For the dressing:
1 1/2 - 2 Tbsp stirred tahini
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp olive oil
Salt to taste

Get the quinoa cooking first. In a small pot, add 1 cup of water to the quinoa. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer on low until water has been absorbed and quinoa is fluffy. This should take about 10-15 minutes.

If your almonds aren't already roasted, toast them in frying pan over medium-low heat until browned. Shake/toss frequently. It's ok if they get pretty dark, but try not to burn them! Chop roughly.

While quinoa and almonds are cooking, steam broccoli in a medium pot. I usually do this by putting a small amount of water at the bottom of the pot and bringing it to a boil for just a few minutes.

Make the dressing. Mix the olive oil, lemon juice, and tahini in a bowl or glass measuring cup. Add salt to taste, and water if you'd like to thin it out a bit.

Combine quinoa and broccoli in a large bowl. Mix together, then pour dressing over the top. Add the green onions, parsley (if using), and almonds and mix again.