Balsamic Honey Grilled Fig Quinoa Bowl

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Balsamic Honey Grilled Fig Quinoa Bowl

10 minPrep Time

35 minCook Time

45 minTotal Time

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Ingredients

• 2 cups (500 mL) uncooked quinoa
• 1/4 tsp (1 mL) each cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice
• 3 cups (750 mL) vegetable broth
• 1/4 cup (60 mL) balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup (60 mL) bee-free honey (you can substitute maple syrup as well)
• 1 tbsp (15 mL) olive oil
• 1 pint (568 mL) Black Mission figs (This is approximately 12-15 fruit)
• 1 tbsp (15 mL) coconut oil or cooking spray for the grill
• 4-6 shallots (about 1/2 cup [125 mL] cup) raw, peeled and sliced
• 1/2 cup (60 mL) walnut halves, toasted and chopped
• 4 cups (approx. 1 L) baby arugula

Instructions

1. Rinse quinoa using a fine mesh sieve and drain well. In a small pot, add the rinsed quinoa, spices, and vegetable broth. Cover the pot with a lid and simmer over medium-low heat for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and fluff with a fork.Cover loosely with lid and set aside.
2. In a saucepan over medium-low heat, whisk together balsamic vinegar, honey, and olive oil until thickened and the mixture is syrupy (5-7 minutes).
3. Preheat your grill (indoor or outdoor is fine—a grill pan was used for this recipe). Gently wash the figs and pat dry. Cut the figs in half from the stem down (the stem is quite hard to cut through, so you can cut just to the side of the stem. You have the option of cutting off the stem, but the figs will hold their shape better if you leave the stem intact.
   [img src="http://producemadesimple.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/balsamic-honey-grilled-fig-quinoa-bowl-grilled-figs.jpg"]
4. Dip the figs into the balsamic honey mixture until well coated. Place them face down on the grill until you get charred marks from where the honey caramelizes, about 3-4 minutes. Flip and let them cook on their backs for another minute or two. Transfer to a plate and continue cooking until all figs are grilled. Set aside.
5. Slice shallots, and gently sauté in 1/4 balsamic honey sauce until softened and cooked through. Add cooked shallots and arugula to cooked quinoa and stir well.
6. To assemble the quinoa bowls, divide arugula, quinoa and shallot mixture between four bowls. Garnish with 4-5 fig halves and a generous sprinkle of chopped walnuts. Drizzle with the balsamic honey dressing and serve.