Pineapple Quinoa And Leek Sautéed Salad
One thing I love about this Pineapple Quinoa And Leek Sautéed Salad is that it is just as delicious served cold as it is served hot – making it perfect for picnics, game day potluck gatherings and even dinner parties on cooler nights.
When it comes to cars, I know bupkis. If I was told my car needed oil, I’d probably end up putting oil into the wiper fluid reservoir. No lie! But, I do know that when my car acts like it’s experiencing an internal earthquake when I hit the brakes, I need to take it in to meet it’s mechanic! And, that’s where my daughter and I were this past Saturday when my mom called me to tell me about her latest obsession.
My mom usually has something interesting to say or inquire about when she calls, and this Saturday was no exception. When I picked up my phone, without entertaining any small talk, she dove right into telling me about her newly discovered joy of eating leeks, quinoa and a boiled egg together. She went on and on about the texture and the taste of those three ingredients combined with some onion and spices.
After she hung up, I started making a mental list of all the ways I’d enjoyed quinoa. There was that quinoa biryani, and those quinoa pancakes, and even that quinoa breakfast bake …but… I couldn’t recall enjoying quinoa with leeks and a boiled egg! So… the rest of the time we were waiting on our mechanic to render our car earthquake-free, guess what was on my mind?! I couldn’t even pay attention to the soccer game that was on the TV in the waiting area – though, I must add, I was ecstatic to walk in and see soccer on the telly instead of any other sport 😀 .
So, as soon as I got home, I experimented with this leek and quinoa concoction my mom mentioned. First, I made a batch of garam masala flavored quinoa with leeks and peas and set it aside for the Easter Potluck for the following day. Then, I decided to experiment a tad more and cooked up a batch of quinoa in pineapple juice and veggie stock. I then added some sautéed up onions, ginger, leeks, celery, peas and a hefty helping of chili flakes to the pineapple quinoa and topped the whole thing with some cilantro and pomegranate seeds. I should have probably called this a Pineapple Quinoa And All The Greens Sautéed Salad instead of a Pineapple Quinoa And Leek Sautéed Salad, but hey. My daughter and I dug into bowls of this Pineapple Quinoa And Leek/All The Greens Sautéed Salad with a boiled egg on the side, and I gotta say that the combo of sweet pineapple, spicy chili flakes and tart-ish pom seeds was so incredibly enjoyable!
Now, this is a versatile dish. If you happen to remake it, you could cook the quinoa in a combo of orange juice and vegetable stock, add more greens or less, top this with peanuts and parsley and serve it with a side of chorizo… what do you think?
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Ingredients
Leeks/Greens
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small red onion chopped
- 4 cloves garlic smashed and chopped
- 1 tsp fresh grated ginger
- 2 stalks leeks cleaned and sliced
- 2 stalks celery sliced
- 1 cup peas I thawed some frozen ones
- 1 tbsp red chili flakes
- salt and pepper to taste
Pineapple Quinoa
- 1 cup quinoa
- 1 cup pineapple juice
- 1 cup vegetable stock no salt added
Instructions
Leeks/Greens
- Add oil and red onion to a pan over medium heat and saute for 10 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add in the ginger, garlic, peas and leeks and saute for another 7 minutes or so
- Add in the celery, chili flakes and salt and pepper to taste.
- Then toss in the Pineapple Quinoa and mix well. Top with cilantro, pomegranate seeds and serve with a boiled egg.
Pineapple Quinoa
- Add the quinoa, pineapple juice and vegetable stock to a pan over high heat and bring to a boil.
- Then, cover quinoa mixture, lower heat an let simmer for 15 minutes. When cooked, add to the leeks/greens. *If you decide to serve this as is, then season with a bit of salt and pepper first.
Nutrition
Would you hate me if I told you I’ve never had leeks before??? But since you have me a quinoa convert, I’m going to make these when I get my hands on some leeks. I may need to see some YouTube videos on how to prep leeks, but hey! I’m sure it’ll be totally worth it!!!
How funny that your mom calls on tangents like that! Must be entertaining for you and it sounds like she has some great ideas!
This salad looks amazing!! I’m in love with quinoa and salads in general. I eat them all the time, all year round.
Oh man! I’m completely intrigued by the flavor combination in this dish! Can’t wait to try it out…sounds delicious!
Pineapple quinoa just sounds amazing. I love everything about this salad.
So I gotta say that I love that soccer was on in the mechanic’s waiting room, too! Every time I go get my car worked on, it’s like Judge Judy or something…and I want to just crawl in a hole. Haha! Soccer is starting to get more respect here in the States! Anyways, enough sports talk. This salad deserves some…no, a lot…of attention! I love the sweet angle from the pineapple. And quinoa really is a great base for summer salads. This one sounds bright and friendly, kinda like a hug from the sun on a spring day! 🙂 I’m glad your car is in tip-top shape now, too. That means you can roadtrip it up since that drone isn’t the most reliable. Haha!
Just reading the words “bupkis” totally made me crack up! How do you always manage to make me laugh, Shashi?? 😉 Also, my mom can totally be the same way! When you’re super close family, who need silly ol’ small talk to warm up with anyway? Haha. Btw, I’m totally drooling over the sound of that quinoa biryani! Is there anyway you can send a batch over, nice and hot somehow, over like right now? 😉 This dish looks and sounds absolutely amazing! I’m a huge fan of pineapple in my savory dishes, so this has my name all over it! Wishing you a splendid week, my friend. xoxoxo
I love that you cooked quinoa with pineapple juice and paired with leeks! The salad looks utterly delicious, Shashi.
I love anything with leeks, but I don’t get to cook them too often, because my husband is not such a fan, so I mostly put them in the soup or eat them thinly sliced on bread with cheese…. This sounds like a great combination, I never would have thought to cook quinoa in pineapple juice. I would love to try it.
Wait a second – PINEAPPLE and QUINOA and LEEKS?! WHAT A weird yet interesting yet smack you in the face flavor profile!!
I need to meet your mom.
What other amazing foodie combos has she got up her sleeve?
Seriously that, and then your magic in the kitchen with it, this is like amazing! Love it!
love that pineapple flavor in there. perfect!
I love everything about this gorgeous salad, Shashi! So bright and the flavors sound amazing!
This is such a palatable salad recipe! I am amazed by the combination of the ingredients!
Oh I hope everything with your car is now okay!! I know diddly-squat about cars either, Shashi, so I would have went to a mechanic as well. 🙂 Your mother sounds all sorts of wonderful! I mean, anyone who can go on and on about food is a-ok with me! 🙂 Loving this salad, girlfriend!! The flavor combination is so unique and it looks absolutely delicious! Plus I love a salad that can be enjoyed both cold and warm, depending on my mood! Cheers, friend! XOXO