So I'm a pretty huge fan of whole grain cooking and I love Cooking Light (magazine and blog), so when they posted this recipe for Quinoa Salad with Asparagus and Orange, I knew I needed to make it. I've reproduced it here, because their page layout sucks so badly when you try to print that I thought I'd save you all the work. I suck again and forgot to take a picture, but the tiny bit of heat from the Jalapeno played off the citrus in the dressing and and the orange. It didn't say to, but I chopped the orange slices up so they weren't so huge, just my opinion though. If you follow the instructions and are decently quick at food prep the timing worked out really well for me. If you are slower at chopping you might start the chopping and have the asparagus ready to steam when you cover the quinoa. When the asparagus is done you can run it under cold water to quickly "chill" it and that was good enough for my taste. Hope you enjoy!

Quinoa Salad with Asparagus, Dates, and Orange

Salad:

1 teaspoon olive oil

1/2 cup finely chopped white onion

1 cup uncooked quinoa

2 cups water

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup fresh orange sections (about 1 large orange)

1/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted

2 tablespoons minced red onion

5 dates, pitted and chopped

1/2 pound (2-inch) slices asparagus, steamed and chilled

1/2 jalapeño pepper, diced

Dressing:

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon extravirgin olive oil

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 garlic clove, minced

2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

Mint sprigs (optional)

Preparation

1. To prepare salad, heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add white onion to pan; sauté 2 minutes. Add quinoa to pan; sauté 5 minutes. Add 2 cups water and 1/2 teaspoon salt to pan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes. Remove from heat; let stand 15 minutes or until water is absorbed. Transfer quinoa mixture to a large bowl. Add orange and next 5 ingredients (through jalapeño); toss gently to combine.

2. To prepare dressing, combine juice and next 4 ingredients (through garlic) in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Pour dressing over salad; toss gently to coat. Sprinkle with chopped mint. Garnish with mint sprigs, if desired. Serve at room temperature.