Curried Quinoa Salad with Mango

This is a very refreshing salad that is always a crowd pleaser, adapted from Deborah Madison's "Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone". I used organic red quinoa, for the contrast in texture, and because I think it has a nuttier taste than other quinoa. And ever since I discovered the Wildwood brand's Aioli vegan mayonnaise, I use it in almost anything that calls for mayonnnaise or sour cream, as in this recipe.

Quinoa Salad with Mango

2 cups of quinoa, that is thoroughly rinsed and drained

1 ripe large mango (not mushy), peeled and cut into small chunks

3 green onions cut crosswise into slices 1/4 inch thick, including white and green part of the stalks

1/4 cup of toasted nuts, either pistachios or almonds, chopped

Bring 3 cups of water in a medium sized pot to a boil. Add the quinoa and lower the heat. Cover the pot and simmer the quinoa until it is cooked, about 20 minutes. Drain the quinoa and put it into a large serving bowl.

Add the mango chunks to the quinoa and toss together with the green onions and curry vinaigrette. Add the nuts last so they remain crunchy.

Curry Vinaigrette

1 large or 2 medium sized garlic cloves

2 teaspoons of curry powder

2 tablespoons of Wildwood Aioli vegan mayonnaise or plain yoghurt

the juice of half a lemon, about 1 1/2 tablespoons

5 tablespoons of canola or grapeseed oil

a pinch of salt to taste

Either put the garlic through a garlic press or grate the garlic with a microplane into a small bowl. Add to the garlic the salt, Aioli and curry. Stir in the lemon and whisk the mixture well, adding in the oil. Let stand for about 15 minutes before adding the vinaigrette to the quinoa mango salad.