Happy 4th of July, oh, I know you may maybe in a holiday rush much like Bijouxs and you need something fast and fresh for your Fourth of July bash. How about a side dish that is patriotic with a little firecracker kick? Red, White & Blueberry Quinoa is your Bijouxs, and I will be brief.
This little jewel of a side salad is one I made often when working as a private chef. Over the years I have adapted the recipe, of course you should feel free to do the same, but for the 4th of July, Red, White & Blue reign supreme; red pepper flakes, creamy white pine nuts, and dried blueberries add the spark.
Quinoa, amino acid-rich (protein) seed, cooks up in a jiff and is a great neutral vehicle, like rice, to house a collection of tastes. This easy quinoa recipe embraces your kitchen independence.
First, cook the quinoa according to the package directions, which will take about 15- 20 minutes. I fire up my Spartan little red rice cooker and let it to do the work while I prepare the rest of the ingredients. I cook the quinoa in chicken broth; I favor the savory saltiness, but you can also use vegetable broth (make sure it is clear or it will muddy the quinoa) or just use water.
You are now ready to prepare the fireworks that give the dish it’s flavor pop. First, toast up the pine nuts in a medium hot skillet until lightly golden brown and remove to cool. Using the same skillet, sauté the shallots. Zest the lemon and orange peels, and have the arsenal of other flavors measured and ready to go.
When the quinoa has cooked (it should be translucent and absorbed all the liquid) still hot, add the pine nuts, shallots, dried blueberries, grated citrus zests, butter, and olive oil, toss gently. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Add the red pepper flakes to your taste. I like to pass additional red pepper flakes for those who really would like a firecracker pop to the dish.
Red, White & Blueberry Quinoa may be served warm or at room temperature. It packs a salty-sweet punch, perfect with burgers, chicken, or anything off the grill. A simple table set in American blue denim, white linen napkins, and individual water bottles for all.
Bijouxs is thinking and thanking, wishing everyone a very Happy 4th of July!
As always, enjoy. B
Sounds delicious! I will try it for sure this weekend!
Hi Emily – This one is really simple and build the flavors to suit your taste – nice using dried currants as well. Enjoy!
What a beautiful and yummy looking recipe! I love the idea of lemon and orange zest added to it too!
Thank you Mariah! The citrus zest adds that bit of freshness, and you can adjust this easy recipe to suit your taste. Thanks for being a part of Bijouxs!
Even your plates look like fire works! GREG
Hi Greg! You caught it! Quite by accident I admit about the plates, but even the purple agapanthus picked for the table mimicked the fire work theme. Hope you had a great 4th.
This looks delish! I love the idea of the red pepper flakes. We’re hosting an online seasonal potluck and July is blueberry month. If you’d like to link your recipe, we’d love to have you! http://bit.ly/eLlgG2
Hello Betsy! The little kick from the red pepper flakes works well with this savory sweet quinoa. More blueberries coming this week!
Love the sound of this quinoa! Will be linking back to it tomorrow 🙂
Hi Marla! Hard to believe Camp Blogaway was almost 4 months ago. Thanks so much for checking in with Bijouxs!
I made this for dinner with chicken and it was superb. For some reason the local grocery store didn’t have shallots (weird, I know), so I used Cippolini onions instead. I also squeezed a bit of lemon juice in with the olive oil/butter. The salad was even better the next day when the flavours had more time to mesh together. Thanks for posting this recipe – it was delicious!
Hi Jess! I really like your idea about using the Cippolini onion in place of the shallot- great thinking. Lemon always adds a fresh note, and you are so right about the salad being even better the next day! Thanks for sharing and so happy you enjoyed the salad!
Hi! Did you use dried blueberries that have sugar added or plain/dried? Thanks for the recipe! I plan on trying it soon.
Hi Barbara! I used small unsweetened dried blueberries for the recipe. They give a sweet yet still tart bite to the salad.
Hope you enjoy!