Recipe for Quinoa Salad with Asparagus, Goat Cheese, and Black Olives

Ingredients for Vinaigrette:
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon mustard
1/2 cup olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Quinoa Salad:
4 cups salted water or vegetable stock
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
2 cups quinoa
16 spears asparagus, trimmed
Olive oil, for brushing
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup pitted nicoise olives
4 ounces aged goat cheese, shaved
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves

Preparation:
For the vinaigrette - Combine the vinegar, honey and mustard in a blender and blend until smooth. With the motor running, slowly add the olive oil and blend until emulsified. Add salt and pepper to taste and pulse a few times to incorporate.

For the quinoa salad - Bring the salted water or vegetable stock to a boil and add the thyme. Stir in the quinoa, bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until cooked through. About 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and let sit for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

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. Transfer the quinoa to a larger bowl, fold in the asparagus, olives, goat cheese, basil and parsley. Add just enough vinaigrette to moisten the salad - don't make it too wet. Transfer to a platter and drizzle with more of the vinaigrette.

(Source: Food Network)