Quinoa Salad with Potato and Navy Beans

Following up on last week’s cupcakes, I wanted to work again with quinoa.  However, this time I was interested in cooking a stovetop whole-grain meal, as opposed to baking with quinoa flour.

Starting Point: Giada de Laurentiis’ Quinoa and Purple Potato Salad

The original recipe seems to be designed as a visually appealing Peruvian-Italian fusion side dish.  Not only did I want to shift away from the Old World ingredients, but I wanted something much more utilitarian: a hearty grain-potato-legume salad that I could have as a main dish every day for the next week.

Instead of gardens peas, my variation on this salad used small navy beans.  I used dry, bagged beans, not canned.  I first applied the so-called “quick-soak” on them: boiling 2 cups of beans in water for five minutes, removing the pot from heat, and then letting the beans sit in the warm water for an hour.  I then drained the soaked beans, transferred them back into fresh water, and cooked them at a simmer for an additional two hours.

Purple potatoes are attractive and all, but large red potatoes worked just fine for my purposes. I prepared two large potatoes as directed: unpeeled, cut into cubes, boiled for 15 minutes, and drained.

I moved on to the dressing next.  Instead of black olives, I used Bella Sun Luci sun-dried tomato halves, going for the soft, bagged variety, rather than the kind packed in jars with oil.  I used sunflower oil instead of olive oil, and pure cranberry juice (not a blend or cocktail) instead of lime juice.  I left out the oregano and swapped 1/8 teaspoon of cayenne pepper for the 1/4 teaspoon black pepper.  All of these I combined with light agave nectar and salt in my 3-cup food processor.  I then refrigerated the resulting dressing while I prepared the quinoa.

For the quinoa, I added 2 cups of Bob’s Red Mill Organic Whole Grain Quinoa to 4 cups of Swanson organic vegetable broth (stretched with a little water).   Instead of garlic, I used the bulbs from about four green onions, which are a good substitute for the flavor of wild leeks, or ramps.  After bringing the quinoa, broth, and onions to a boil, I let the mixture simmer for 20 minutes, giving it a thorough stir every few minutes.  There was no need to remove the onions once the quinoa was cooked.  After letting the quinoa rest for a few minutes off of the heat, I combined it with the beans and potatoes in a large bowl.  I then added the dressing and tossed.

The result is perhaps I little heavier on the quinoa than I was initially anticipating, much more of a grain dish than what one typically thinks of as a salad.  Swapping beans for peas makes it even heartier.  Ultimately, I think of it as a South American version of succotash.  Accordingly, next time I might try a more vegetable-like bean, such as lima beans.

This dish can be eaten cold like any potato salad, but I prefer it hot.  I’ve been eating it with a little leftover wild rice, just to add yet another whole grain to the mix.