Ever had Quinoa? Ever heard of Quinoa? If you’re not familiar with it, google it and read about it. It’s easily digested and has a very high protein content and is gluten-free. And, it tastes so good! What’s not to like? Here’s what it looks like when you buy it:
In the summer, when it’s hot, we like to eat salads. I tried a new Quinoa Salad last week and it was a good enough recipe to share.
Quinoa Salad
1 cup raw quinoa
2 T. honey
2 T. lemon juice
3 T. olive oil
1 small apple, chopped
2/3 c. dried cherries, chopped
2/3 c. slivered almonds, toasted
Salt & Pepper
Using a fine strainer, rinse 1 cup quinoa. Boil 2 cups water in a medium saucepan. Add 1/2 tsp. salt. Add quinoa and simmer gently til tender, about 15 minutes. Drain using the fine strainer.
In a small bowl, whisk together honey, lemon juice and olive oil.
Mix chopped apple, cherries and slivered almonds with quinoa. Pour honey mixture over and stir. Add black pepper to taste. Serve warm or cold.
Funny, I just got a recipe in my email for Quinoa Salad from Kitchen Parade. I copied it down and now will add yours to my list to try also. Thank you
Chris
One helpful hint – it is pronounced ‘Keenwa’. It took me a long time to connect the word I kept hearing with the strangely spelled word I kept seeing. Huh, same word.
And it is yummy.
I like quinoa a lot, with just butter, salt and pepper, in place of mashed potatoes.
I’m so interested in Quinoa. I understand it is very high in protein. I’ve checked Quinoa out at the grocery but didn’t buy it because it is very expensive. No that I have your recipe and endorsement I’m going to get some. Thanks for sharing.
Jacob did not care for the savory quinoa that I made – maybe I should try a sweeter recipe like this.
What I like best about quinoa (KEEN-wah) is that, for a whole grain, it cooks very quickly. I sneak it into recipes like pilaf (a close relative of risotto), so I might end up with something like 1-1/2 c. rice, 1/4 c. pearled barley, and 1/4 c. quinoa plus the veggies and stuff.
It’s also very cute after it’s cooked; almost transparent. A unique look. One of the best protein profiles among grains, for anyone trying to cut down on his/her use of meat.
With my newly diagnosed wheat allergy, we have been searching for new things to eat. We found Quinoa a couple of months ago and I absolutely love it! I look forward to trying this recipe.
I shall certainly try this one out – I have looked at quinoa at the supermarket for years and never quite known what to do with it. We can’t get dried cherries over here, but I guess dried cranberries would work too. We eat salad every evening with dinner, so it’s great to have a new and completely different idea. Thanks Judy
Judy I’ve looked and looked for quinoa at the grocery but can’t find it! What section should I be checking out? blessings, marlene
Oh, I love quinoa! I bet this salad would be good with some grilled chicken, either alongside it or cut into strips and mixed right in! Or even some pork tenderloin. To make it a complete meal — those are my favorite kinds of summertime salads, are entree salads. As a kid, we often had tuna-macaroni salad, but I prefer slightly more interesting ingredients these days. This one sounds like it’s right up my alley! Thanks, Judy.
I just bought some raw a week ago and was looking for a way to try it and this recipe sounds great. Thanks!
Once again, you have read my mind. I was looking for some pasta in the cabinet yesterday and found a box of quinoa tucked away on the top shelf. I bought it at Trader Joe’s a while back and didn’t know what to do with it.
Thanks for the recipe, it’s just what I needed.
We love Quinoa. We have it about once a week. It cooks great in my rice steamer pot. I sometimes get the mixed Quinoa that is 3 or 4 different kinds. I am definitely going to try this recipe with it, not sure Liam will like the cherries but he’ll learn to like it!!
We like quinoa, too! I’ll have to try out this recipe. I usually press a garlic clove directly into the water before I cook it. The flavor is faint in the end, but adds a little something.
Judy,
That salad looks & sounds DELISH!! I have been wanting to try quinoa but was unsure how to fix it. Now I know!
Thank you so much for sharing.
Cathy
I am a newbie to quinoa. I use it in chili and other soups. This week I made a wilted spinach salad with it. Boiled the Q with white wine and blended cherries. Added cooked onions and mushrooms that had been simmered in white wine. Made a bed of the spinach in a large oval bowl. Poured the hot Q sauce over it and stirred. VERY VERY yummy!