Quinoa Salad With Avocado, Dried Fruit and Nuts

Quinoa Salad With Avocado, Dried Fruit and Nuts
Ingredients

Generous handful of dried cranberries
Small can mandarin oranges
2 cups red or white pre-cooked cooked quinoa. (frig over night, 1 dry cup = 2 cooked cups)
Kosher salt
1 large lemon
6 cloves of fresh garlic (optional)
3 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil (optional)
1/4 tsp. ground coriander
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. sweet paprika
1 large firm-ripe avocado. pitted, peeled, and cut into 1/2-inch chunks
2 to 3 Tbs. slivered almonds
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions
* #1: Prep: I try to prep as much as I can so I make the quinoa the night before and refrigerate, works out well since it's a cold salad.

1. In a 2-quart saucepan, bring 2 cups water and 1/2 tsp. salt to a boil over high heat. Add 1 cup of quinoa, cover, reduce the heat to simmer until the water is absorbed and the quinoa is translucent and tender, 10 to 15 minutes.

2. In a medium bowl, soak the cranberries in hot water for 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.

3. Finely grate the zest from the lemon and then squeeze & use juice. In a small bowl, whisk the lemon zest and juice with the olive oil, garlic, coriander, cumin, paprika, and 1/4 tsp. salt. In a large bowl, toss the vinaigrette with the quinoa, cranberries, mandarin, avocado, and almonds. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.

Serves 2