I love a flavorful quinoa salad I can prepare in advance during the summertime. I can serve it up with some grilled veggies and chicken or fish… and dinner is served! My husband, Russ loves this recipe!
This quinoa salad is super easy to whip up and has the wonderful combination of flavors of cranberries, almonds, pine nuts and pepitas! Nuts and seeds are rich in magnesium, an important nutrient that many Americans fall short on…and one that has anti-inflammatory benefits. Yummo!
Earlier this week, I took a lunch break from work and visited with a friend who’s pup had 9 puppies! As you may know, I am a big lab fan. Here’s a pic of two of the puppies.
It’s Thursday… and the weekend is almost here!! Last night, I spoke at the Crohn’s and Colitis support group at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston on diet for inflammatory bowel disease, to learn more on this topic check out my recent post here. Driving into the city at rush hour is not much fun…but it always feels good to volunteer. Tomorrow, I am off to Maine to spend some time with my friends from Junior High! I hope you are gearing up for something fun this weekend too!
Ingredients
- Serves: 4-6
- 1 1/4 cup quinoa (uncooked), I used multi colored quinoa.
- 1/4 cup pine nuts
- 2 tablespoons pepitas (hulled pumpkin seeds)
- 2 tablespoons sliced almonds
- 2-3 teaspoons sesame oil
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 2 tablespoons dried cranberries, chopped
- Salt and pepper, to taste (optional, try it without first!)
Instructions
- Soak, drain and rinse quinoa or use pre-washed quinoa.
- In large skillet, add pine nuts, pepitas and almonds and 2 teaspoons sesame oil over medium heat. Toast up nuts and seeds until lightly browned. Remove nuts and seeds from skillet.
- Add quinoa and 2 cups of water to skillet over high heat. Boil quinoa for 10-15 minutes or just until the little tail is exposed from the quinoa seed. There may be a little water left in quinoa but no more than 1 tablespoon. If excess water, drain off.
- Add quinoa to medium size bowl, fold in toasted nuts and seeds, parsley and dried cranberries. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. (Drizzle with a teaspoon of sesame oil, if desired)
- Serve warm or at room temperature. Store leftovers in refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
Stephanie Goodman
So Darn cute!! I would of left home with a couple!!
Laury Hunt
Salad looks yummy; labbies even more so. Our chocolate turns 1 year old in 4 days!