Quinoa and Apple Curry Salad

Quinoa is packed with protein and super versatile. This recipe is from Martha Stewart and is easy, refreshing, and delicious. I made it as a main course, but it'd be great with some sort of broiled white fish.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup raw whole almonds
• 1 cup white quinoa
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• Freshly ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons dried currants
• 1 small McIntosh apple (really, you need the McIntosh "tang" so I don't think a gala or a fuji would work quite as well), cut into 1/8-inch-thick wedges
• 1/4 cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves, coarsely chopped, plus more for garnish

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spread almonds on a rimmed baking sheet; toast in oven until lightly toasted and fragrant, about 7 minutes. Let cool; coarsely chop nuts. Don't skip this step. Toasting almonds makes them magical.
2. Rinse quinoa thoroughly in a fine sieve; drain. (If quinoa isn't rinsed thoroughly, it'll be bitter. Most quinoa is "triple-rinsed" though, so you may not need to do this step). Bring 2 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add quinoa; return to a boil. Stir quinoa; cover, and reduce heat. Simmer until quinoa is tender but still chewy, about 15 minutes. Fluff quinoa with a fork; let cool.
3. Whisk together honey, shallot, curry powder, salt, and lemon juice in a large bowl. Season with pepper. Whisking constantly, pour in oil in a slow, steady stream; whisk until dressing is emulsified. Add quinoa, currants, apple, mint, and nuts; toss well. Garnish with mint.