Quinoa Winter Salad

Name: Quinoa Winter Salad
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 4 serving(s)
Ingredients: 1 cup quinoa; 2 cups water or 2 cups reduced-fat chicken broth; 1 tablespoon olive oil; 1/4 yellow onion, diced; 8 -10 fresh sage leaves, cut into fine ribbons; 1 apple, diced into large chunks; 1 1/2 cups acorn squash, cooked and cubed; 1 -2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice; 2 tablespoons dried cranberries

Submitted by justcallmetoni

"Have been introducing new grains into my menu and put this one together using leftovers and items in the pantry. So good, I thought it was worth posting. Makes a great side dish to roasted chicken or turkey."

Download

photo by DianaEatingRichly

Ready In:: 40mins
Ingredients:: 9
Serves:: 4

ingredients

1 cup quinoa
2 cups water or 2 cups reduced-fat chicken broth
1 tablespoon olive oil
¹⁄₄ yellow onion, diced
8 -10 fresh sage leaves, cut into fine ribbons
1 apple, diced into large chunks
1 ¹⁄₂ cups acorn squash, cooked and cubed
1 -2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
2 tablespoons dried cranberries

directions

Rinse the quinoa in a strainer under running water.
Toss quinoa into a small saucepan and lightly toast.
Add 2 cups of water and bring to boil.
Reduce to a low simmer and cover.
Cook 15-20 minutes until the liquid is absorbed.
In a separate pan, heat oil under a medium flame.
Add sage and onions.
Saute 5-7 minutes until the onions are soft.
Add the chopped apple and cubed squash to the onions.
Cook 5 minutes more.
Add in pumpkin pie spice.
At this point, the quinoa should be done.
Stir quinoa into the pan with the onions, apples and squash.
Top with dried cranberries.

Questions & Replies

Got a question? Share it with the community!

Reviews

This recipe is a good start but needed some additions as it was a bit bland. I used a sweet potato because my acorn squash ended up being flavorless. After making the quinoa, I made a dressing with salt, pepper, olive oil, and apple cider vinegar to pump up the flavor and then it was perfect!

DianaEatingRichly
I probably should not rate this because I made some changes. I subbed in sweet potatoes because DH does not like squash (a texture thing). I roasted the potatoes, onions, and apples, used water vs broth, added garlic salt, and a splash of agave nectar for a little bit of sweetness (I found the sage bitter). Served it with grilled chicken and it was enjoyed by all.

kristine_kiner
Prepared this as per the recipe using the chicken broth and a combination of braeburn and granny smith apples. It seems to be missing something, I may add a touch of brown sugar to the leftovers. The squash was steamed in the microwave before adding to the sage/onion mixture. The timing is right on. My servings were more along the lines of 6.

PaulaG
This was a good dish though a little on the bland side. I love healthy seasonal cooking and I was looking for a quinoa salad so I'm glad I could find a recipe that met both criteria. When cooking the squash and apples I added a little water to the skillet to keep it from sticking. I think I overcooked the quinoa a little but it still had that unique texture, I think quinoa can stand up to a little overcooking. The cranberries added a nice splash of color.

Valeria
I made this as posted, except I used 1/2 cranberries and 1/2 raisins in the end. This is a flavorful, great way to enjoy quinoa. Definitely worth trying ~ Thanks for sharing this recipe Toni!

mermaidmagic

see 1 more reviews

RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

justcallmetoni

212

I come from a long line of wonderful cooks and doing my best to hold up that tradition. My great-grandparents owned a coffee shop; my Nana was also a great cook and started the tradition of baking around the holidays, both cookies and fruitcakes. After she died, now a decade ago, our family decided to continue in her honor. The picture above is my mother's (Chef Hot Pans) dining room table just before we packed up our Christmas cookie trays. More that 20 kinds of cookies, many of which are from 'Zaar recipes. I myself am an amateur cook with a penchant for ethnic foods and spice. Currently reforming my menu in favor of healthy dishes lower in fat with lots of grains and vegetables. My favorite cuisines are Mexican, Southwestern and North African. Some of my favorite public cookbooks include: <li>ladypit's <a href=http://www.recipezaar.com/mycookbook/book/33588> WW Core Recipes I Have Tried </a> </li>   <li>shirl(j)831's <a href=http://www.recipezaar.com/mycookbook/book/34888> Can this really be lowfat??? </a> </li>   <li>julesong's <a href=http://www.recipezaar.com/mycookbook/book/30566> Cooking Light Recipes </a> </li>   <li>mariposa13's <a href=http://www.recipezaar.com/mycookbook/book/44690> WW & Lowfat Recipes </a> </li> <img src=http://members.aol.com/sdnt4life/dpg.gif alt=Dirty /> <a href=http://s10.photobucket.com/albums/a132/tgifford/Game%20Room%20Banners/AM%20Banners/?action=view&current=kitchen-special-hot2-1.jpg target=_blank><img src=http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a132/tgifford/Game%20Room%20Banners/AM%20Banners/kitchen-special-hot2-1.jpg border=0 alt=Photobucket /></a> <img src=http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y53/DUCHESS13/Animation1.gif alt=Image /><img src=http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y53/DUCHESS13/4treasurehunt.gif alt=FFF#2 width=50% /> <img src=http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/susied214/purplechefhat.gif alt=Image /><img src=http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/susied214/projects/chef3.jpg alt=Image /><img src=http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/susied214/beartag_1_1.jpg border=0 alt=Photobucket /><img src=http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/susied214/adopted_1_1.jpg border=0 alt=Adopted /><img src=http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/susied214/permanent%20collection/200_artistrichardneuman-art-prints_.jpg border=0 alt=Photobucket /><img src=http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/susied214/permanent%20collection/untitled.jpg border=0 alt=Photobucket /><img src=http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/susied214/projects/200_PACpic.jpg border=0 alt=PAC /><img src=http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/susied214/projects/pacbanner.jpg border=0 alt=Photo /> <img src=http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y53/DUCHESS13/World%20Tour/ZaarWorldTourFirst.gif alt=/ /><img src=http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y53/DUCHESS13/World%20Tour/ZWT2.gif alt=/ /> <img src=http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y53/DUCHESS13/Zaar%20World%20Tour%203/ZWT3-Participation.gif alt=/ /><img src=http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y53/DUCHESS13/World%20Tour/AnimatedHostChallengeBanner.gif alt=ZWT3 /><img src=http://www.satsleuth.com/cooking/RecipeSwap2.JPG alt=width=50% /> <img src=http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y53/DUCHESS13/cookbookswap.jpg alt=/ />

View Full Profile