Quinoa Salad with Oven-Dried Tomatoes

From inthekitchenwithkath.com

(Adapted from Heather Christo's recipe in Pure Delicious)

Serves 6 – 8

Oven-Dried Tomatoes

1 pound cherry or grape tomatoes, washed and cut in half lengthwise

3 tablespoons olive oil

Salt, to sprinkle on the tomatoes

Quinoa

2 cups white quinoa, rinsed and drained

½ cup dry white wine (I used wine; you can substitute vegetable or chicken broth but reduce the kosher salt if the broth is salty.)

1 cup water

1 teaspoon kosher salt (If substituting table salt or sea salt, use ¾ teaspoon.)

Tomato Dressing

¼ cup of the oven-dried tomatoes

1 garlic clove, coarsely chopped

¼ cup red wine vinegar

¼ cup olive oil

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

To add to the salad

2 green onions, thinly sliced

½ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Additional salt, if necessary

1. To roast the tomatoes, preheat the oven to 250°. Spread the tomatoes out on a rimmed baking sheet. Pour the olive oil over them and toss to coat. Sprinkle with some salt and roast for 90 minutes.

2. While the tomatoes are roasting, cook the quinoa. In a 3-quart sauce pan, bring the wine, water, and salt to a boil. Add the quinoa, stir, and cover. Reduce heat to very low so it will simmer. Cook for 15 minutes. Remove the pot from the burner. Do not remove the cover; let it sit for 20 more minutes. Then remove the cover, fluff it up with a fork and put it in a large bowl.

3. When the tomatoes are done, make the dressing. Put ¼ cup of the roasted tomatoes in a blender. Add the garlic, vinegar, olive oil, and smoked paprika. Blend until it no longer has any lumps of tomatoes.

4. Gently stir the dressing into the quinoa so it’s all evenly coated. Stir in the rest of the oven-dried tomatoes, the green onions, and the parsley. Taste and season with additional salt if necessary. Can be kept at room temperature to serve within a few hours, or cover and refrigerate for up to 5 days.