Sometimes we need more than just any ol’ salad, sometimes we need Quinoa and Brown Rice Salad with Pomegranate & Pignoli!
I have news!
Dom and I are the very new, very proud adoptive parents of (drum roll please) an olive tree in Italy!
Yep, an olive tree has our name. And yes, when I unwrapped the Christmas gift from the kids and opened the box that revealed that we’re the parents of an olive tree grown in the organic Il Fico Grove, situated near Alcamo on the Trapanese Coast of Sicily, I cried. Does that shock anyone? I didn’t think so.
I’ve been dying to share the big news and today is the day!
This salad is the perfect vehicle to showcase the olive oil that reigns from our tree. I keep telling Dom that we need to pay it a visit; it won’t be happening any time soon, but until we get there, if any one of you is planning a trip to Italy, let me know and I’ll give you its coordinates so that you can stop by, send our love, and help yourself to some olives. (That’s not really how a visit works but I’m sure we could arrange something!)
The thing I love about this Adopt An Olive Tree program is that it’s about supporting farmers, connecting people to the source of their food, as well as to teach about the process and techniques involved with the production of their delicious oil from pruning to harvest.
Here’s the thing about olive oil… It’s the oldest unadulterated food in the world. There are no chemicals or, as Nudo says, funny business, in the production of olive oil.
Some other interesting facts:
- When they crush olives, they use the whole fruit – stone included.
- Olive oil does not improve with age. Old olive oil = Bad olive oil.
- You cannot tell the quality of olive oil by how green it is.
So let me tell you a little bit about our precious oil. It smells of fresh cut grass and a bit of thistle, artichoke and green tomato. Its flavor is more fruity and bitter when compared to other olive oils, but leaves you with a fruity sensation and an aftertaste of almonds. How fabulous does that sound? It’s perfect for salads, fish, soups, grilled meats and sauces.
Speaking of salad…let’s get to it!
Toasted pignoli (pine nuts), pomegranate seeds, curly-leaf parsley (used mainly for texture), balsamic vinegar, (your favorite) olive oil, fresh lemon juice, salt and cracked black pepper tossed with quinoa and brown rice then served warm…
That’s what I’m talkin’ about!
Buon Appetito!
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Quinoa and Brown Rice Salad with Pomegranate & Pignoli
- Category: Salad
Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa
- 1 cup brown rice
- 3 3/4 cups water
- 1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt, divided
- 3/4 cup pignoli (pine nuts), toasted
- 1 cup pomegranate seeds
- 2 cups curly-leaf parsley, chopped
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
- Juice from a lemon
- 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 F.
- Place quinoa, rice, water and 1 tsp. salt into a heavy bottomed medium sauce pan.
- Heat to boil then cover tightly and lower heat to Low.
- Simmer until tender but toothsome, 35 – 40 minutes.
- Turn off heat; let stand covered for 10 minutes.
- In the meantime, toast pignoli on a baking sheet for 4 minutes in the oven. Remove and set aside.
- Put quinoa, rice, pignoli, pomegranate and parsley in a medium bowl.
- Add the olive oil, balsamic, lemon juice, 1/2 tsp. salt and pepper.
- Toss and serve warm.
CIAO!
This salad is everything my tastebuds are craving right now and the colors are so vibrant!! Your kids know you well, what a cool and thoughtful gift that will keep on giving :-). Take care.
So simple to make, it could be on the table in no time! Thanks, Stacey!
Oh congrats on your tree – this sounds like a fantastic gift! Indeed, olive oil is one of the greatest inventions ever known. I quite often enjoy a warm toast (okay, let’s say crostini haha) drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with salt. Seriously delicious, you know that! And people I know always ask me what kind of dressing do I use for my salads. I thinks I often upset them saying that the best dressing is a little of olive oil and balsamic:) Beautiful salad, Annie!
That is the best dressing! Thanks so much for stopping by with a kind word, Ben! Have a great day! 🙂
Congrats, that is so cool. I am thinking you could give me those coordinates as we are hoping to visit Italy this summer. But truly, I love seeing your creative combinations of pine nuts with pomegranate. Of course, my mind wants to turn this into a frosting, but I promise I will keep a salad a salad!
Oh my – I feel like most everyone I talk to is planning a trip to Italy this year! What a great time!! Yes, please turn this into a frosting!! Thanks, friend! 🙂
Such a simple salad made with good wholesome ingredients. I would have to think heavily about sharing this with Dave. Seriously. 😉
Thanks, Kevin! This is some good eats! I hear you my friend! 😉
Congratulations on your new family member, the baby olive tree.
This salad sounds like the perfect breakfast to me. Actually I’d eat it any time of the day but with the pomegranates, pignoli, grains, and splash of lemon, this would work for me – for breakfast especially. In fact, I can’t wait to try it. Yum. Thank you!
Hahah! Thanks, friend! Well that’s a great idea! I’m going to have it for breakfast, too! 🙂
Annie how fun!!! This is such a good & yummy cause 🙂 Btw I can’t wait to try this salad!
So fun!! For a good and yummy cause! You got it! Thanks, Ami!!
Boy I need to get with the times. I’ve never made a recipe with pomegranate before.? What’s wrong with me? I love it every time I have it. And with pine nuts?! Talk about delicious!
Oh yeah…get with the times! You’ll be very happy you did! Thanks, friend! 🙂
This quinoa and brown rice salad has everything I love in a salad, texture, flavor, including a fantastic e.v.o. oil! Congratulations on your adopted tree in Italy! It is situated in a beautiful place, you really need to pay it a visit 😉 . We’re going back this summer, but I’m not sure we’re going to Sicily (will let you know 🙂 ). P.s. So true: old olive oil, bad olive oil!
Why thank you! On the two trips we’ve made, we have yet to get to Sicily! It’s next on the list and now we have even more reason to visit! Yes, please let me know if you go! 🙂
Congrats on your tree!
For starters, I love brown rice. The dressing sounds so good! I could really go for something like this to counterbalance all the heavy meals I’ve been eating.
Bingo! This salad was much needed! Thanks, Jeff!
Such a bright and delicious looking salad. Love everything you have used here, Annie. And I didn’t that pine nuts are also called pignoli. So thank you so much for this new addition to my vocabulary. 🙂
We’ve adopted a tree and you’ve adopted a new word! Love them both!! Thanks, my friend! 🙂
I absolutely love that you adopted an olive tree! That’s probably one of the coolest and most special gifts I’ve ever heard of! I have to admit I’m a little jealous. 🙂 This salad looks so hearty and tasty. A perfect way to celebrate your incredible gift!
Isn’t that the sweetest thing? I love the idea of it! Thanks, Rachelle! <3
I absolutely love a salad with pomegranate seeds and this one looks so good. I”m obsessed with all things quinoa these days and lord knows, I need to eat more salads!
Pomegranate seeds elevate any dish they’re involved with! I just love ’em! Thanks, friend!
Congrats Annie! And I totally agree, this is the perfect recipe to showcase your own special olive oil!! I love the combination of ingredients and the nice tart dressing. Perfect salad for after all that Super Bowl indulging.
Between your dish, today, and this…we’ve got healthy and tasty covered! Which is a good thing! 😉 Thanks, Mary Ann!
So much fabulous texture in this salad, Annie with the mix of brown rice and quinoa and the crunch of the pignoli (why do they have two names?) LOL. Love that lip smacking dressing too. How fun you have your own olive tree and have received your first batch of oil! What a thoughtful and delicious gift!
Oh, that awesome little pine nut likes to go by its Italian name every now and again! 🙂 It really is a fun thing! I just love the idea! Thanks, friend!
What a great gift, Annie – I’ll have to remember that for next Christmas – I have a whole list of people that would love it. And I just love this recipe – this is my kind of meal – I could eat this for days. Pinning!
Isn’t it great! Our kids knew what they were doing! Check it out – It’s a cool idea! Thanks, Geraldine! 🙂
Love this salad with the addition of pomegranate and pine nuts! This will be on my table soon! I also vote “yes” that you should go and visit your olive tree—-like we all need any excuse to travel to Italy, anyway………….
I know, right?! We definitely don’t need an excuse but it’s nice to have a legitimate one! 😉 Thanks for stopping by Diane! Take care!
Congratulations!! Nothing like owning your own tree in Italy! Honey and I should own several trees — we go through a LOT of olive oil and this quinoa salad sounds just like a side we love!! Can you get a photo of the tress?
We go through a lot too so this makes perfect sense! That’s a very good question….I have to check on that! Thanks, Marisa!
That is SO neat that you guys own an olive tree, Annie! And I’m on the same page as you, I’m thinking you absolutely MUST go visit your adopted tree! I mean, it’s just the right thing to do. 😉 I am loving this salad, girlfriend! SO pretty and I love that it’s super nutritious to boot! I have a weird obsession with pine nuts, so I love that you added those in for a bit of crunch! This is a faaaaaabulous side dish! Cheers, lovely!
Toasted pine nuts are scary good! It was all I could do to keep from finishing them straight out of the oven! Thanks, friend! 🙂
Congratulations you guys! That’s so awesome! How exciting is that?! I only learned recently that the colour of olive oil is not indicative of it’s quality and I just learned (from you now) that pignoli is toasted pine nuts so thanks for that 😉 I would love to visit Italy one day. It’s definitely on our list of places to go. I can only imagine the food, vineyards and scenery. Swoon! Now this salad! How delicious is this? So healthy and love the addition of pomegranate. Perfect for meatless Monday (or any day for that matter). Pinned, of course. Happy Monday! XO
Hahaha! Thanks, Dawn! Yep – the family is growing! 😉 I hope you get to Italy one day! It is everything you read, and more! Happy Monday! XO
That is SO exciting that you own an olive tree, Annie! Congrats! I love that it supports the farmers out there in so many ways. Will you be visiting your tree anytime soon? 🙂 I’m ALL about quinoa salads, especially lately, so this version is calling my name! I love the pomegranate seeds and pine nuts in here, sounds perfect for a light lunch or dinner! Pinned!
Isn’t it?! Hubby and I thought it was the coolest gift. We had never heard of this before! Happy you love the salad! Thanks, my friend!