Grass-fed Lamb Quinoa Salad Recipe
- Servings: 4
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
Looking for a perfect lunch or dinner that’s packed with iron? Look no further than this quinoa salad recipe made with New Zealand grass-fed lamb, from Kathy Paterson.
Ingredients:
For the Lamb:
- 2-3 New Zealand grass-fed lamb rumps, trimmed, or steaks (Tip: Look for the Taste Pure Nature logo)
- 2-3 teaspoons ground cumin
- Olive oil
- Salt
- Pepper
For the Salad:
- 1 cup quinoa, rinsed
- 1 red onion, finely sliced and soaked in water for 10 minutes
- 1 teaspoon ground sumac
- 2 Persian cucumbers, finely sliced
- 4 radishes, cut in half
- 1 red chili pepper, finely sliced
- 2 handfuls watercress or baby spinach
- 1 handful of mint leaves, roughly torn
For the Dressing:
- 1 lemon
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 6 tablespoons olive oil
Directions:
For the Lamb:
- 1. Preheat oven to 375° F. Heat a casserole dish in the oven.
- 2. Meanwhile, heat a frying pan over medium-high heat.
- 3. Rub lamb rumps with oil and cumin. Season with salt and pepper.
- 4. Place in the hot pan and brown on both sides.
- 5. Once browned, transfer lamb rumps to hot casserole dish and bake for 10 minutes.
- 6. Remove from oven, sprinkle with salt and cover loosely with foil and a clean tea towel and leave to rest for 10 minutes.
For the Salad:
- 7. Place quinoa in a heavy saucepan and pour in 2 cups cold water. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat.
- 8. Reduce heat and simmer for 18-20 minutes until all liquid is absorbed and quinoa is light and fluffy.
For the Dressing:
- 9. While the quinoa and lamb are cooking, prepare the dressing by finely grating the zest of the lemon. Set aside.
- 10. Juice the lemon and pour into a small bowl with garlic and olive oil. Mix well.
To Assemble and Serve:
- 11. When ready to serve, drain red onion and pat dry with paper towels or a clean tea towel. Place in a large bowl and mix in sumac.
- 12. Add quinoa and drizzle in the dressing. Gently mix with a fork, and add cucumber, radishes, pepper, watercress or spinach and mint leaves.
- 13. Place quinoa salad in 4 shallow serving bowls.
- 14. Thinly slice lamb against the grain and divide between bowls.
- 15. Sprinkle reserved lemon zest over lamb. Serve immediately.