Quinoa Salad

Good morning blogging world!

I am taking the dog to the vet this morning for her annual teeth cleaning and have a few minutes before I drop her off, so I'm taking advantage of the extra time and sharing the quinoa salad!

I actually made this recipe Sunday and have been eating it all week. I shared some with a co-worker yesterday who thought the salad was delicious! For those of you who haven't heard of quinoa or who haven't had much luck with quinoa, this is a great recipe to try!!

Quinoa Salad with Fennel (also called Anise) and Red Onion

1.5 cups quinoa (red and white mixed)
5 tbl extra virgin olive oil
1 red onion, thinly sliced
4 oz arugula
4 oz gouda, finely sliced (I left this out as I don't like gouda)
3 medium celery stalks, thinly sliced (did you know celery is on the dirty dozen list?)
1 large, crisp apple, diced (and so are apples! buy organic!!)
1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
1 cup finely diced fennel
3/4 cup dried cranberies
3 tbl red wine vinegar (or exchange this for balsamic)
sea salt (healthier than refined salt)
pepper

Directions:
1. Quinoa: rinse and drain quinoa. Add 2.5 cups water and bring to boil in saucepan. Lower heat to simmer and cook, covered, about 15 minutes. When all the water is gone, turn off heat and let it rest 5 minutes. Then fluff with work

2. While the quinoa cooks, heat 2 tbl EVOO in skillet and saute onion until tender and slightly brown. Add 2 tbl balsamic vinegar and cook until vinegar cooks away. Remove from heat.

3. In large bowl, combine cooked quinoa, onions, arugula, cheese (optional), celery, apple, walnuts, fennel, and cranberries.

4. Dressing: in a small bown, whisk 3 tbl EVOO with 3 tbl red wine vinegar (or balsamic), 1/2 t sea salt and some black pepper. Add dressing to the salad and mix. Let rest then season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.

A couple of comments:
The red quinoa has a little bit nuttier flavor than the white. I really liked the mix but the salad I made was only white quinoa. For those who don't like licorice and are worried about the fennel, you don't taste the licorice, I promise. I HATE black licorice and wouldn't eat this salad if there was even a hint.


This recipe came from the Wholesome Chef class.