Apple Quinoa Salad

I don’t know about you, but salads are a staple in my plant based lifestyle. So it goes without saying that fresh, seasonal fruits and vegetables are key ingredients in my salad repertoire. Since it’s currently apple season, you better believe apples are going in a lot of salads right now, starting with this Apple Quinoa Salad. It’s loaded with crisp bites of apple, crunchy bits of pecans and fluffy, nutty quinoa. Oh, did I mention it also has a creamy Maple Tahini Dressing? Why, yes…yes it does. It’s a great way to welcome in those early fall flavors for lunch, dinner or a side.

Why is this Apple Quinoa Salad so great? Like all salads, it is pretty darn hard to mess up. You simply need fresh ingredients and from there you can chop, slice and dice your way to a delicious and easy meal. As with any of the salad recipes you find on the blog, you can alter this as you see fit. Red apples or green apples? Choose your favorite! Need a more filling meal? Add more quinoa. Like adding cheese? Toss in some crumbled feta, bleu cheese or gouda (vegan of course). It is simple, easy and customizable to your preferred choices or mood.

Make sure you also check out these other salad ideas or click on salads above…

Plum Salad

Fall Crunch Salad

Roasted Fig Salad

Roasted Grape Salad

Strawberry Spring Salad

Print Recipe

Apple Quinoa Salad

A quick & easy salad to welcome in apple season.

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time15 minutes mins

Course: Dinner, Lunch, Salad, Side Dish

Keyword: apple, quinoa, salad, vegan, vegetarian

Servings: 2

Ingredients

• 3 cups favorite greens mixed greens, spinach, kale
• 1 medium apple (about 1 cup)
• 1/2 cup cooked quinoa
• 1/2 cup crushed pecans
• 1/4 cup red onion or shallot, thinly sliced

Maple Tahini Dressing

• 2 tbsps tahini
• 1 – 2 tsp maple syrup
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• water to thin out

Instructions

• Prepare the quinoa. Add 1 cup of quinoa to 1 2/3 cup water in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low & simmer for 15 minutes covered until the water is absorbed. Remove from heat & let it sit with the lid on for another 10 minutes.
• Prepare the greens & tear or chop into bite size pieces.
• Slice the red onion or shallot into thin slices.
• Roughly chop the pecans.
• Slice the apples into wedges.
• Add all salad ingredients to a large bowl & toss to combine.
• Prepare the salad dressing by whisking together the tahini, maple syrup & apple cider vinegar until it forms a thick paste. Slowly add water, whisking until it thins out to your desired consistency. Serve drizzled over the top or on the side.

Notes

Apples:  Feel free to choose your favorite type of apple for this salad.  They will all work great with the other flavors.  Honeycrisp, Gala, Fuji or Granny Smith are my favorites.

Lettuce:  Customize your greens to your favorites as well.  Mix it up with a variety or choose spinach, kale, red leaf, green leaf, gem or arugula.

Quinoa: You will have leftover quinoa with this recipe.  Simply store it in a lidded container in the refrigerator & serve it up with your next meal.  Any type of quinoa will work so choose your favorite.  When making the quinoa, use less water than the package suggests.  A 1 cup quinoa to 1 2/3 (or 1 3/4) cups water will yield a fluffy, yet cooked grain.  Most packages use 1:2 ratio which leaves the quinoa mushy.

Enjoy!