Serves 4
For the best flavor, serve salad at room temperature or slightly chilled. This makes a great salad for pot-lucks and picnics.
1 cup quinoa
1 1/2 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
1 tablespoon walnut oil
1/4 cup chopped pecans (or walnuts)
1/3 cup dried cranberries
Salt and pepper to taste
1. Place quinoa in a sieve and rinse thoroughly under running water to remove the grain’s bitter saponins.
2. Put quinoa, water, and salt in saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until water is absorbed, about 15 minutes. (Check frequently.) When water is absorbed, test quinoa for tenderness. If it is not yet tender, add a bit more water and cook until absorbed. Remove from heat and allow to cool in the pan, still covered.
3. While quinoa is cooling, toast pecans briefly in a dry skillet over medium low heat, just until fragrant.
4. Place seasoned vinegar in large mixing bowl and add walnut oil in a thin stream while whisking briskly.
5. Add quinoa, pecans, and cranberries and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Nutrition Information (per serving): Calories 282, Carbohydrates 40g, Fiber 4g, Sugar 11g (Added sugar 11g), Protein 7g, Fat 11g.
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This recipe is excerpted from Nutrition Diva’s Secrets for a Healthy Diet: What to Eat, What to Avoid, What to Stop Worrying About. Feel free to link to it but please do not reproduce it! You can read a sample chapter of the book here.
This quinoa salad looks lovely. I had never heard of walnut oil, but it sounds delicious. I will have to get some and try this recipe. I am always looking for new quinoa salads to love.
I was wondering if you can suggest an alternative to the walnut oil, or if it can be omitted, as I’d rather not purchase any. I’m on a budget so don’t want to spend a lot on something that I’m not sure I’ll use very often.
of course! Olive oil would work just as well in this salad.
I currently have EVOO, Sesame, “Vegetable”, and Peanut oils. (I might be able to produce butter, shortening and lard if pressed but won’t admit that here!)
Any of those would work but I think I’d choose the EVOO–both for flavor as well as for nutrition.
I was inspired by this recipe, but had no dried cranberries and was out of quinoa, so I substituted rye kernels and pomegranate seeds, and it turned out great. (Rye or barley kernels with pomegranate seeds and Greek yogurt is also a good combination for a quick dessert).