Cranberry Apple Quinoa Salad Recipe
A vibrant and nutritious Cranberry Apple Quinoa Salad featuring fluffy tricolor quinoa, tart dried cranberries, crisp apples, and hearty kale, all tossed with a tangy Dijon-honey dressing and topped with toasted pecans and crumbled feta cheese. This wholesome salad combines sweet, savory, and crunchy elements for a satisfying and healthy meal or side dish.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Salad
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
Scale
Quinoa and Fruit
- 1 1/2 cups water or low-sodium vegetable broth
- 3/4 cup tricolor quinoa, rinsed and drained
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 2 medium unpeeled apples, such as Granny Smith or Honeycrisp, chopped
Greens and Vegetables
- 1 large bunch curly kale (about 5 oz.), roughly chopped
- 1/4 small red onion, thinly sliced
- Kosher salt
Nuts and Cheese
- 1/3 cup toasted pecans, roughly chopped
- 2 oz. crumbled feta cheese
Dressing
- 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
- 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 Tbsp. honey
- Juice of 1 lemon
- Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
- Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Cook Quinoa: In a medium saucepan over high heat, bring water or vegetable broth to a boil. Add the rinsed quinoa, reduce heat to medium, cover, and simmer for about 15 minutes until the liquid is absorbed and the quinoa is tender. Remove from heat, fluff with a fork, add dried cranberries on top, cover again, and let it steam for 5 minutes.
- Prepare Kale: While the quinoa cooks, place the chopped kale into a large bowl and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of kosher salt. Massage the kale with your hands for about 1 minute to soften and tenderize the leaves.
- Combine Salad Ingredients: Add the cooked quinoa with cranberries, chopped apples, thinly sliced red onion, toasted pecans, and crumbled feta cheese to the bowl with the massaged kale. Toss everything together gently to combine.
- Make Dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together Dijon mustard, extra-virgin olive oil, honey, lemon juice, and crushed red pepper flakes. Season the dressing with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
- Dress and Toss Salad: Pour the dressing over the salad mixture and toss thoroughly to ensure all ingredients are evenly coated. Adjust seasoning if necessary, then serve immediately or chill before serving.
Notes
- For extra crunch, toast the pecans in a dry skillet over medium heat for 3-5 minutes until fragrant before adding to the salad.
- You can substitute kale with other sturdy greens like spinach or Swiss chard if preferred.
- This salad can be prepared a few hours ahead and refrigerated, but add the dressing just before serving to maintain freshness.
- For a vegan option, omit the feta or replace with a plant-based cheese alternative.
- Adjust the amount of honey in the dressing depending on your desired level of sweetness.
Keywords: cranberry salad, apple quinoa salad, healthy salad, kale salad, vegetarian salad, quinoa recipe, fall salad
Find it online: https://flavorsbymaya.com/cranberry-apple-quinoa-salad-recipe/
