Description
A quick and easy apple quinoa salad that’s perfect for a light meal or side dish. This nutritious and flavorful salad features crunchy apples, protein-rich quinoa, tangy cranberries, and crunchy walnuts with a zesty lemon dressing.
Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa, rinsed
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tsp lemon zest
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 2 cloves garlic, grated or crushed
- 1 shallot, minced
- 1/2 cup diced celery
- 1 apple, diced
- 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 1 can chickpeas (15 oz), drained and rinsed
- 2 cups fresh baby spinach
Instructions
- Rinse the quinoa, then cook according to package instructions.
- While the quinoa is cooking, prepare the dressing: in a large bowl, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, maple syrup, garlic, shallot, salt, and pepper.
- Dice the celery and apple. Chop the parsley.
- Add the diced celery, diced apple, chopped parsley, walnuts, dried cranberries, drained chickpeas, and fresh spinach to the bowl with the dressing.
- Once the quinoa is cooked, add it to the bowl.
- Toss everything together to combine.
- Taste and season with additional salt and pepper if needed.
- Serve the apple quinoa salad immediately, or chill it in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Notes
- This recipe makes 4 meal-sized servings or 6-8 side salad servings.
- Leftover apple quinoa salad can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. The flavors improve with chilling, making it great for meal prep.
- Feel free to substitute ingredients like barley or farro for quinoa, kale or arugula for spinach, or pecans for walnuts.
- Add extra vegetables like grated carrots, bell peppers, or diced cucumber for more flavor and texture.
- For a complete meal, add protein like shredded chicken, shrimp, or tofu.
- Top with feta or goat cheese for added tanginess.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Salads
- Method: Cold Salad
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 414 kcal
- Sugar: 20 g
- Sodium: 29 mg
- Fat: 20 g
- Saturated Fat: 2 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 16 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 55 g
- Fiber: 7 g
- Protein: 9 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg