Quinoa salad with asparagus, goat cheese and olives

Ingredients:

Quinoa Salad:

• 2 cups quinoa
• 16 prepared asparagus spears
• 110 g of aged goat cheese shavings
• 1 tbsp. pitted olives
• 4 cups salted water or vegetable broth
• 2 tsp chopped fresh thyme
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
• 1/4 fresh parsley leaves
• Olive oil for greasing
• Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

Vinaigrette sauce:

• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp. honey
• 1 tbsp mustard
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation:

1. Make the vinaigrette: combine the vinegar, honey, and mustard in a blender and blend until smooth. With the blender running, slowly add the olive oil and blend until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper to taste and pulse a few times to thoroughly combine.
2. Make the quinoa salad: Bring salted water or vegetable broth to a boil and add thyme. Add the quinoa, bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer until tender, about 30 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes. Stir with a fork.
3. Preheat the grill. Brush the asparagus with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill on all sides until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Remove from the grill and cut into 1/2-inch pieces.
4. Transfer the quinoa to a large bowl and add the asparagus, olives, goat cheese, basil, and parsley. Add enough vinaigrette to moisten the salad, but not too moist. Transfer to a serving platter and drizzle with more vinaigrette.