Apple Quinoa Salad
This Quinoa Apple Salad is loaded with spinach, quinoa, crisp apples, pears, pistachios, and cranberries, all tossed in a fresh lemon-poppy seed vinaigrette. Healthy and delicious!
Servings: 6 as a side
Cost: $12.24
Equipment
- Small blender or food processor
Ingredients
Salad
- 1/2 cup quinoa tri-colored or plain
- 1 cup chicken broth or vegetable broth or water
- 6 cups baby spinach 5 ounces
- 1 large apple Pink Lady or Honeycrisp
- 1 large pear Anjou
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1/2 cup roasted and salted shelled pistachios
- 1/3 cup dried cranberries
Lemon Poppyseed Dressing
- 2 lemons
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard not regular mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar see note 1
- 1/3 cup olive oil or vegetable oil
- 1/2 tablespoon poppy seeds
Instructions
- Prepare quinoa by rinsing it under cold water in a fine-mesh sieve. This removes the bitter saponin coating. Combine quinoa and water (or broth) in a small pot over high heat. Bring to a boil, add in a heaping 1/4 teaspoon salt, reduce heat to low, and cover the pot. Simmer 10–15 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat, keep covered, and let stand 10–15 minutes. Fluff with a fork, then add 2–3 tablespoons of the prepared dressing (see next step). Toss and refrigerate to chill until at room temperature.
- While quinoa is cooking, prepare the dressing. Combine 1/4 teaspoon lemon zest, 4 tablespoons lemon juice, onion powder, mustard, salt, and sugar in a small blender or food processor. Blend or pulse until completely smooth. Slowly pour in the oil and blend just until emulsified. Do not over-blend. Stir in poppy seeds, transfer to a jar with a lid, and chill in the fridge while preparing the other parts of the salad. Re-shake to combine before dressing the salad.
- Remove large stems and coarsely chop the spinach (just a few coarse cuts through all the spinach). Add to a large bowl and toss with room-temperature quinoa.
- Chop or thinly slice the apple and pear. Toss both fruits with lemon juice to keep from browning too quickly. Add to the spinach and quinoa.
- Sprinkle pistachios and dried cranberries into the salad. This salad doesn’t sit well with the dressing, so only dress what will be enjoyed the same day. Drizzle with dressing (add to preference; store any leftover dressing in the fridge for up to 1 week). Gently toss to combine and enjoy.
Notes
Note 1: Add sugar gradually and to taste preference. I prefer the dressing on the sweeter side to complement the savory taste of the quinoa and spinach.
Storage: This salad doesn’t sit well once dressed, so only dress what will be enjoyed the same day. Store leftover salad and dressing separately. Apples and pears will brown if cut in advance. Leftover dressing keeps up to 1 week in the fridge.
Nutrition
Serving: 6servings | Calories: 371kcal | Carbohydrates: 38.3g | Protein: 7.4g | Fat: 23.2g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Fiber: 5.7g | Sugar: 20.6g