Quinoa Wilted Spinach Salad

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

I only tried quinoa for the first time a couple of months ago, but it is quickly becoming a staple in our house.  Besides the fabulous nutritional value, I love that it cooks up even more quickly than rice and adds a hearty texture to whatever dish it is in.   I tried it in a couple of salads before I came across this  tasty one from Taste of Home Healthy Cooking, and this one with its flavorful dressing and pleasant texture, is definitely staying on our keeper list.  

Click here for printable recipe. 



The ingredients:

DRESSING:  
1/4 cup olive oil
3 Tbs. orange juice
1-1/2 Tbs. red wine vinegar
1-1/2 Tbs. maple syrup
2 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
2 green onions, finely chopped

SALAD:
1 cup quinoa, rinsed
2 cups water
1 pkg (6-oz.) fresh baby spinach, torn
1/2 cup dried cranberries (Craisins)
1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted

Directions:  For dressing, in a small bowl, whisk the oil, orange juice, vinegar, maple syrup, garlic, salt, and pepper.  Stir in green onions.  Set aside in refrigerator until ready to serve. 
For salad, in a small saucepan, bring quinoa and water to a boil.  Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 12-15 minutes or until water is absorbed.  Remove from heat; fluff with fork. Cover and let stand for 10 minutes. 

In a large bowl, combine the warm quinoa, spinach, and Craisins.  Pour dressing over quinoa mixture; toss to coat.  Sprinkle with toasted pecans.  Serve immediately.  Enjoy! 

6 comments:

Cassie April 19, 2011 at 2:13 PM  

I love quinoa in salads. This one looks super delicious!

Julie April 19, 2011 at 7:41 PM  

Wow, that sounds super healthy, and delicious too!

Anonymous,  April 19, 2011 at 8:41 PM  

This salad sounds really tasty. Looking forward to trying this one out.
Tammy

Unknown April 27, 2011 at 1:00 PM  

This salad was great! To make it more of a meal for the entire family we added grilled shrimp and feta cheese! It was a big hit!

christyd May 2, 2011 at 1:24 PM  

This sounds do good, thank you!

Best Reviews for Atlantic Highlands NJ house cleaning click here March 24, 2015 at 11:07 AM  

I saved a little to try it cold later. If it's yummy cold too, this will be my new favorite quinoa recipe. Thanks for posting!

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About This Blog

My name is Lara and while I'm definitely not a gourmet cook, I do love preparing tasty, healthy meals for my family. Finding new recipes to try and sharing the ones we've already fallen in love with is a passion I've had since college and the reason why I've started this blog! With five kids, I'm usually in a hurry, so you'll find most of these recipes kid friendly and simple to make.

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