Quinoa and Collards with Tahini Sauce

This is one I used to make for the Cal-Earth workshops:

Quinoa and Collards with Tahini Sauce

you will need:

1 cup quinoa (white or red or mixed)

2 green onions

¼ cup dried cranberries or cherries (try to find juice sweetened rather than sugar)

¼ cup roasted salted cashews or pistachios

2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds (you can toast them yourself easily in a pan or toaster oven)

½ tsp sea salt

1 ½ cups water

12 collard leaves (raw)

approximately 2 tbsp tahini

3 tbsp olive oil

juice from 1 lime

directions:

Chop the green onions and sauté in 1 tbsp olive oil in medium saucepan until tender.  Add the quinoa, ¼ tsp salt and water.  Cook covered for 15 minutes or until water is absorbed.  Add cranberries and re-cover to let the steam soften.  Then fluff with a fork, mixing in the cranberries.

Wash and de-stem the collards.  Put the leaves in a pile and roll tightly like you were rolling a sleeping bag lengthwise.  Slice the roll as thinly as possible so you end up with lovely long ribbons of collards.

In a small bowl, combine tahini, lime juice, 2 tbsp olive oil and ¼ tsp salt.  Stir with fork until mixed well and then add a little water (a tablespoon or two) until it is a good consistency for a dressing

Arrange collards in a nest on the plate, scoop about ½ cup of the quinoa mixture on top.  Sprinkle cashews or pistachios and the toasted sesame seeds on top.  Drizzle the dressing on top (mostly on the collards around the quinoa) and serve!