Mixed quinoa salad with grapefruit dressing.

Yesterday I realised that I hadn't made anything with quinoa in a while, my gusto that came with the new cook book had waned and it was time to dabble in the quinoa world once again. I had also been chatting to a friend in Moosonee who had bought the same book and was making spinach and pomegranate salad with quinoa from it, that was some inspiration indeed. I really liked the idea of something sweet in a salad so my brain was running though what we had here to use - grapefruit! My husband didn't like the idea of grapefruit pieces in the salad so I settled on a grapefruit dressing instead. 

I cut up a handful of grape tomatoes, in half, lengthways. Then peeled, halved and finely sliced about 3inches of cucumber. I cut a tiny bit of red onion, very finely so it wouldn't be over powering. On top of this went several handfuls of mixed leafy greens and them some parmesan shavings. Only when I was ready to dress the salad did I mix it together, this stops it going soggy ahead of time.  I toasted the pine nuts but kept them aside and sprinkled them on as we ate rather than putting them in the salad. 

The dressing was the juice of half a grapefruit, olive oil in a quantity less than that so the grapefruit juice is the main flavour, and some pepper and salt. In my head I knew that some grainy mustard would really work well here but I wasn't feeling it on the palate at the time, so, for another time I guess. Whisk it all together, taste, and if it is ready then dress the salad with it right before you eat or it will go soggy. 

The grapefruit was amazing. I am not sure where exactly in the States it came from but wow, it was the best one I have ever eaten, seriously. It was so sweet that I didn't want to add any sugar to it as a dressing, nor to the other half which I sliced into wedges and ate like an orange. Heaven. I am going to go and eat one for breakfast shortly in fact. Lovely, pinky, juicy, edge of tart but still sweet, citrus goodness!

Never mind, I am so enamoured with them that I went and cut one up to take pictures of this minute! Here you go. 

What a thing of beauty. It is so veering on the side of orange that I wonder if the grapefruit and orange trees did some intermingling and that is why it is so sweet aswell?

We ate the salad with a beer can chicken, or beer butt, whatever you like to call it, it is the most moist chicken ever. Which I going to write about in a separate entry.