Roasted Pepper Quinoa Salad

Bright, Patient, and Quietly Abundant

There is a particular kind of salad that doesn't try to impress — it simply arrives, composed and unhurried, asking nothing of you but a moment of attention. This quinoa salad is that dish. The roasted peppers bring a deep, smoky sweetness that settles into every grain, while the fresh elements lift it back toward the light. It's the sort of thing you make on a slow afternoon and find yourself returning to, spoonful by spoonful, grateful for how something so gentle can feel so complete.

Ingredients

• 1 cup Vigo Quinoa
• 1 cup orange juice
• 1 12 ounce jar Alessi Fire Roasted Red Peppers
• 1 1.75 ounce jar Alessi Pine Nuts
• 1 tablespoon Alessi Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 tablespoon Alessi White Wine Vinegar
• 1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced
• 1 large tomato, diced
• 1/4 cups basil, finely chopped
• Alessi Sea Salt and Ground Black Pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Cook quinoa according to package directions, replacing 1 cup water with orange juice. Set aside to cool.
2. Drain the peppers and finely dice them.
3. In a pan over medium heat, toast the pine nuts until golden, about 5 minutes.
4. Set aside to cool.
5. In a bowl, whisk together the olive oil and vinegar.
6. Add the quinoa, peppers, pine nuts, cucumber, tomato, and basil.
7. Mix well and season with salt and pepper to taste.
8. Serve at room temperature.