Fresh, light, and sweet! This colorful quinoa salad has quinoa, peppers, scallions, dried fruit, nuts, and a yummy dressing. It is sure to brighten up any meal!
The thing about Quinoa:
I think most people would agree that quinoa is healthy. It’s full of fiber and protein, and it’s one of those superfoods that you eat when you go on a diet. But the biggest complaint about it is…
It’s bland, boring, and tasteless.
Plain quinoa as a side dish with a flavorful piece of salmon and roasted vegetables is not the problem. The sauces can get into the quinoa a little bit and the blandness is even helpful when it comes to digesting oily foods like fish.
The problem is if you want quinoa for lunch – you most probably will not want to eat it on its own.
That’s where this salad comes in. With just the right amount of veggies, sweetness, and crunch it becomes a delicious and complete meal that will leave you full and satisfied. It’s perfect.
I remember not liking quinoa until I had a salad somewhere that was so good. Based on my memory I recreated it and was so happy with the results! I realized that when paired with the right things quinoa can be delicious, and I added it to my salad rotation.
colorful quinoa salad Ingredients List:
- Quinoa
- Red pepper
- Yellow pepper
- Scallions
- Dried cranberries
- Almonds
- Cilantro
- Olive oil
- Apple cider vinegar
- Lemon juice
- Honey
- Garlic
- Salt
When to serve this salad:
Like I said this is great for a full lunch meal but it can also be a side dish or an appetizer. It works beautifully for Shalosh Seudos on a long summer Shabbos, or as a quick snack with a few crackers. Try it with our soft and fluffy challah rolls and sweet and savory eggplant dip for a well-rounded meal.
Feel free to change it up!
Like many salads, this one is very forgiving and can inspire so many different variations. Some ideas that you can try with this are:
- Roasting the peppers before adding them to the salad – how good does that sound?!
- Using candied pecans instead of the cranberries and almonds – anything with candied pecans is a winner!
- Turning it into something Greek-inspired with cucumbers, tomatoes, red onions, and feta.
Variations and substitutes:
As you can see, this salad is very versatile and can go with so many different things, so if there’s something you don’t like in the salad you can substitute it or take it out. Use this as an idea for a quinoa salad and make something that you will love. Some ideas to try are:
- Adding dried fruit like raisins, apricots, and dates – they will all give a nice, sweet dimension.
- Use any nuts you’d like – anything nutty with a crunch will work; walnuts and cashews are some ideas that come to mind.
- Any vinegar that you have will work.
- You can use any sweetener you’d like instead of honey.
- Any color peppers that you have or like will work.
- You can use purple onions or shallots instead of scallions.
- Any herbs of your choice.
- Etc. Etc. 🙂
Play around with it and have fun!
Colorful Quinoa Salad
Ingredients
- 2 cups quinoa
- 4 cups water
- 1/2 red pepper, chopped
- 1/2 yellow pepper, chopped
- 4 scallions, sliced
- 1/3 cup dried cranberries
- 1/3 cup slivered or sliced almonds
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley or any herbs you like (optional)
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil (any oil will work as well)
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 clove of garlic
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
For the Quinoa:
- Bring 4 cups of water to a boil.
- Add the quinoa and cook for 15 minutes or until all the water has been absorbed.
- Fluff with a spoon and set aside.
For the Salad:
- Chop up the peppers, scallions, and almonds (if you are using whole almonds).
For the dressing:
- Mix the olive oil, vinegar, honey, lemon juice, garlic, and salt well in a bowl.
To assemble:
- Place the quinoa in a medium-sized bowl or serving dish.
- Layer with the vegetables, dried fruit, and nuts.
- Pour half of the dressing over the salad slowly to make sure you don't have too much dressing.
- Mix the salad and add the amount of dressing you like.
