Red Quinoa Salad

1 cup red quinoa
kosher salt
8 ounces green beans, trimmed
14-ounce can artichoke hearts, drained, cut in half, and thinly sliced
8 ounces small cherry or grape tomatoes, quartered or halved (about 1½ cups)
½ cup roughly chopped, well-toasted almonds
¼ cup chopped fresh basil
¼ cup chopped fresh mint
¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
freshly ground black pepper
mustard caper vinaigrette*
½ pound medium shrimp, peeled, deveined and halved lengthwise
1 tablespoon olive oil

In a 4-quart saucepan, combine the quinoa with 2 cups water, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Remove to a large bowl, and let cool to room temperature or chill in the refrigerator before mixing with remaining ingredients.

Bring another 4-quart saucepan of water to a boil over high heat. Add 1 teaspoon salt and the green beans. Cook until tender, about 4-8 minutes. Transfer to an ice water bath to stop the cooking process. Drain, and cut into 1–1½ʺ pieces.

Prepare the vinaigrette, and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the quinoa, beans, artichoke hearts, tomatoes, three-quarters of the almonds, the chopped herbs, several grinds of pepper and ⅓ cup of the vinaigrette. Toss thoroughly. Season to taste with more salt, pepper and vinaigrette. You can overdress the salad a bit at first, as the grains will keep absorbing it.

If using shrimp, season them with salt. In a 12ʺ skillet, heat the olive oil over high heat until shimmering. Add the shrimp in a single layer, and cook until lightly browned on the bottoms, 1 to 2 minutes. Flip, and continue to cook until the shrimp are curled and just opaque throughout, 1 minute. Toss the shrimp into the salad, and sprinkle with the remaining almonds.

*Mustard-Caper Vinaigrette

⅔ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon minced capers
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1½ teaspoons light brown sugar
1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

In a small bowl or glass jar with a tight lid, whisk or shake all of the ingredients.