I'm going to pretend that anytime I make vegetarian recipes it is done with purely charitable intentions. Don't get me wrong, I wholeheartedly support the idea behind Meatless Monday...cutting out the meat once per week to improve both our health and the health of the planet. However, if I start to pull out the quinoa and chickpeas for dinner, it likely means that I forgot to defrost some chicken or replenish our tilapia supply. Honorable, huh?
With an abundance of crisp, ripe apples at the markets and leftover Gorgonzola cheese in the fridge (from my Gorgonzola Cheese Cups with Pear & Hazelnut Salad), this salad came together with little effort.
The sweet and salty flavors are punctuated by a light vinaigrette made of apple cider, a little olive oil, apple cider vinegar & a pinch of salt. Toss everything together in a bowl, along with some toasted slivered almonds and chopped green onions. Dinner is served. A meatless one, at that.
The recipe:
The salad:
In a fine-mesh strainer, rinse the quinoa well and drain.
In a medium pot, combine the quinoa and water. Bring to a boil, then cover and turn heat to low. Cook until all the water is absorbed, about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat, fluff the quinoa and transfer to a cookie sheet, spreading the quinoa in a thin layer, to cool.
In a large bowl, mix together the cooled quinoa, almonds, chickpeas, apple, Gorgonzola cheese and green onions.
The vinaigrette:
Whisk together white apple cider, apple cider vinegar, olive oil, agave nectar and salt.
Pour the dressing over the quinoa salad and toss to coat. Serve over a bed of spinach or arugula, if desired.
Other quinoa recipes:
Cookin' Canuck's Salad Cups with Quinoa, Shrimp, Avocado & Lemon Dressing
Cookin' Canuck's Vegetarian Stew with Quinoa, Butternut Squash & Coconut Milk
Bev Cooks' Kidney Bean & Quinoa Soft Tacos
Ambitious Kitchen's Kale, Edamame & Quinoa Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette
Quinoa Salad with Apple and Chickpeas
Ingredients
The Salad:
- 1 cup quinoa
- 2 cups water
- ½ cup sliced almonds toasted
- 1 14 ounce can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), (I prefer Bush's Beans
- 1 large Gala apple cored and chopped
- 3 tablespoons Gorgzonzola cheese
- 2 green onion thinly sliced (green & white parts)
The Vinaigrette:
- â…“ cup apple cider or apple juice
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon agave nectar or honey
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
The Salad:
- In a fine-mesh strainer, rinse quinoa well and drain.
- In a medium pot, combine quinoa and water. Bring to a boil, then cover and turn heat to low. Cook until all the water is absorbed, about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat, fluff the quinoa and transfer to a cookie sheet, spreading the quinoa in a thin layer, to cool.
- In a large bowl, mix together cooled quinoa, almonds, chickpeas, apple, Gorgonzola cheese and green onions.
The Vinaigrette:
- Whisk together white apple cider, apple cider vinegar, olive oil, agave nectar and salt.
- Pour the dressing over the quinoa salad and toss to coat. Serve.
Nutrition
Disclosure: I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
janelle
Do you know how many quinoa recipes I have pinned? A lot. This one rose to the top of the list when deciding on what to make to lunch today. The ingredient list does sound fantastic. I used walnuts instead of almonds and left out the cheese to keep it vegan and though it was good, I didn't find it anything special. Seemed like it needed some zing or something.
Brenda @ a farmgirl's dabbles
What a great ingredient list - I love the sound of the cider vinaigrette. I'm looking forward to meeting you, Dara - see you soon! 🙂
Sonya Hallman
I didn't see where the almonds were mentioned in the recipe, but I hope to enjoy this tonight!
Dara (Cookin' Canuck)
Ack, I hate it when I do that! I edited the recipe to include the almonds. I hope you enjoy it, Sonya!
Lydia (The Perfect Pantry)
A way to make salads like this even easier: cook a large batch of quinoa in the rice cooker, and refrigerate in small batches for salads throughout the week. I love the combination of Fall flavors here: apples and cheese are classic New England!
Deborah
We do go meat free at least once a week, but I have to say that it doesn't usually fall on a Monday!! I love this salad - perfect for this time of year!
Monique @ Ambitious Kitchen
Love quinoa and this sounds perfect for Fall!
kelley
Who needs meat with a salad like this? I am so enjoying all the apple recipes right now and this is no exception!
Noble Pig - Cathy
I love the gorgonzola in this...sounds and looks amazing!
Jessica@AKitchenAddiction
Oh, I wish this is what I was having for dinner!
Gerry @ Foodness Gracious
Nice salad! The freshness is just oozing from it 😉
Shirley @ gfe
Dara, that salad and dressing looks absolutely fantastic! I don't care why you were inspired to make it ... thank you!
Off to share,
Shirley
Rachel Cooks
Love this!!! I bed it would be great w/ bacon too 😉
Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar
What an awesome salad! Yum!
claire @ the realistic nutritionist
This looks fabulous, Dara!! I love the healthy mix of the quinoa and the apples!
Kirsten@ My Kitchen in the Rockies
Dara, just pint it on my Pinterest account, so I would remember to try this salad soon. Great combo!
carrian
dude, no offense to every other blogger, but I swear you are the quinoa queen. I adore all of your quinoa recipes and they are always soooo flavorful. Not all are that way. lovely, lovely recipe!
marla
Dara, this quinoa looks great! The cider dressing is an extra special touch 🙂
Alison @ Ingredients, Inc.
oh i am so making this!
traci
So excited to try this for lunch today. This will be perfect for after my run.