Elevate your salad plate with this Cranberry Quinoa Salad. With crisp apples, crunchy pecans, and a tangy dressing, this is one you will crave!
My youngest son is the type of kid that you never know what he is going to say.
Not a week goes by that he doesn’t ask a question that I’m in awe of. My first thought is why have I never thought to ask that? My second is thank God there is the internet so I can go look up the answer.
It amazes me how much he absorbs from life experiences and how he can remember the smallest details of things that happened years ago.
He also can be incredibly funny.
We have a very difficult time with the boys volume. They have two volumes - loud and louder. This is especially difficult when Skye is trying to nap.
The other day Vincent was getting on to him about yelling. His reply, (deadpan):
“Dad, it’s not that we are yelling. It’s just that your ears are so big it SEEMS like we are yelling.”
For a minute I though he believed himself and then I realized he was trying to make everyone laugh with a deadpan delivery when I caught him biting his lower lip to keep from laughing.
Sometimes when you think he’s just hanging out, he’s really deep in thought.
Yesterday we were in the car and he announced that after much though, he’d finally figured out my super-hero name….the Foodie Flyer. I even have weapons. Vegetables of course.
Jalapeno Daggers and Carrot Staffs.
I’m not sure if that means he really thinks vegetables are my weapons, but I’ll take it. 🙂 Watch out, folks! I'm a super-hero now!
In honor of my new promotion, how about we share a salad. A Cranberry Quinoa Salad to be exact!
Tools for Making Quinoa Apple Cranberry Salad
Cranberry Quinoa Salad
Cranberry Quinoa Salad with Apples and Pecans
Ingredients
- Dressing
- ¼ cup water + ½ tablespoon chia seeds or ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 shallot minced
- 2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon fresh ground pepper
- Salad
- 3 cups torn lettuce leaves
- 3 cups baby arugula
- 1 cup cooked quinoa
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- 1 Granny Smith apple cored and sliced thin
- ¼ cup crumbled blue cheese or non-dairy blue cheese, optional
- ¼ cup pecans chopped
Instructions
- If using chia gel in place of olive oil, combine ¼ cup water with chia seeds. Stir to combine and set aside for 10 minutes.
- In a blender combine shallot, vinegar, lemon juice, maple syrup, Dijon mustard, salt and pepper. Process until blended. Add chia gel or olive oil and process until well combined.
- In a large bowl combine lettuce, arugula, quinoa, dried cranberries, apple, blue cheese and walnuts. Toss with dressing and serve immediately.
Shannon Graham
I absolutely love these flavor combinations for a salad!