Sweet and Sour Quinoa Salad

Thanks to Kikkoman and Latina Bloggers Connect for making this recipe post possible. As always my comments, opinions and love for world cuisines and flavors are my own.

Here's a side dish that has so much going for it, it's almost hard to cover it all. It includes many of my favorite things. As the name Sweet and Sour Quinoa Salad suggests, it balances the sweetness of golden raisins and pineapple, with the acidic pop of rice vinegar. And it's all brought together with the savory, tangy goodness of teriyaki sauce, hot and spicy ginger, pungent garlic, and fragrant basil. Of course, I haven't even mentioned yet the amazingly popular, protein-rich quinoa. And now I have.

Estimated prep time: 5 minutes
Start to finish: 25 minutes

Ingredients

1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup roasted almonds, roughly chopped
1/2 cup dry cranberries
Pepper to taste
5 fresh basil leaves (optional)

For the dressing

4 tablespoons Kikkoman Teriyaki Marinade & Sauce (made with traditionally brewed soy sauce and spices)
8 tablespoons crushed pineapple in juice
1 medium garlic clove, peeled and finely grated
1-inch fresh ginger root, peeled and finely grated
4 teaspoons rice vinegar

Method

Clean quinoa according to the instructions on the package. Combine quinoa and water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook 15-20 minutes or until all water is absorbed. Fluff gently with a fork and let rest for 5 minutes.

While quinoa is cooking, make the dressing. Combine Teriyaki Marinade & Sauce, pineapple, garlic, ginger, and rice vinegar.

Transfer the quinoa to a bowl, add raisins, almonds, cranberries, and dressing. Mix well. Add pepper to taste and basil (if you wish).

Serve chilled.

Enjoy!

You know teriyaki has been popular since it was first created in Japan. It was a simple mixture of soy sauce and spices. I just got back from a trip to Hawai'i. Japanese-Americans there added fresh ginger, brown sugar, pineapple juice and green onions to produce the teriyaki we know and love.

For more recipe ideas and information on how to incorporate Kikkoman Teriyaki Marinade & Sauce into your own recipes, visit them here and follow the #KikkomanSaborLBC hashtag.

Buen Provecho!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Kikkoman. The opinions and text are all mine.

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Silvia Martinez

Silvia started bilingual website Mama Latina Tips in 2009 to connect and share her stories, recipes and culture with readers. Silvia loves dancing, cooking, watching movies, reading, throwing Mexican parties and spending time with family and friends. Silvia is the winner of The Great American Recipe.

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