Quinoa Salad with Roasted Fennel and Caraway Seeds

Ingredients

• 3
  
  cups quinoa
  
• 1/2
  
  teaspoon ground cardamom
  
• 1
  
  head of fennel, finely diced.
  
• 1
  
  cup almonds
  
• 3/4
  
  cup sultanas or raisins
  
• 2
  
  tablespoons caraway seeds
  
• 
  
  fennel fronds for garnish
  
• 
  
  salt
  
• 
  
  olive oil
  

Directions

1. Cook quinoa as directed, adding the cardamom to the cooking liquid, as well as a bit of salt. When the quinoa is cooked, move it to a large mixing bowl and fluff with a fork..
2. Lay the fennel out on a parchment lined baking sheet and drizzle with a small amount of olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Roast at 425 until the fennel is tender and crisp. My fennel was diced very small, so this only took about 15 minutes for me. Add the fennel to the mixing bowl.
3. Reduce your oven to 350. Lay your almonds on a baking sheet and roast until the almonds are toasted all the way through, about 25 minutes. Watch them carefully to make sure they don’t burn. Let the almonds cool, then chop. Add the almonds, as well all the almond crumbs and almond dust from chopping, into the mixing bowl.
4. Add the sultanas, the caraway and the fennel fronds to the bowl and stir everything together until it is very well mixed. Taste for seasoning and add more of anything you like! Do not add any additional oil to the salad–it will just way it down, and you want to keep this light and fluffy.
5. You can make this ahead and keep it in the fridge for up to 5 days for snacks, sides and lunches.