If you follow me on Instagram, you may remember this Chopped Apple Quinoa and Pecan Salad I made {and posted} for our family’s Easter get-together this year. It was a hit all around and my sister requested it for our Father’s Day dinner last evening. I figured if the family loves it, it must be worth sharing with you as well!
My dad, sister and I tend to have our typical dishes we each contribute to our get-togethers. Quite often my dad does the meat and potatoes, while my sister makes homemade mac and cheese, a cooked veggie/casserole of some sort, and deviled eggs or something along those lines. I quite often volunteer for homemade bread, a fresh salad, and dessert. Of course this changes here and there, but we all have our favorites to make and it typically works out well.
In the past, I’ve thrown together a large bowl of greens with chopped/sliced carrots, then chopped up several other toppings and put them in a separate dish so everyone can create their own preferred salad. While I’m sure I’ll do more of that in the future, it’s so great to have a go-to salad that makes nearly everyone happy, is full of color and nutrition, yet only takes six ingredients to make {+the dressing of course}!
You’ll see in the recipe below that I use Hendrickson’s Sweet Vinegar and Olive Oil dressing with this salad, but you could easily make your own using a combination of olive oil, apple cider vinegar, honey, salt, and preferred seasonings. Either way, the slightly sweet dressing perfectly complements the dried cranberries, tart apples, and creamy feta cheese. Add in the protein and texture of the quinoa and pecans, and it’s definitely a salad I’ll be making lots of in the future!
Chopped Apple Quinoa and Pecan Salad
Ingredients
- 6-8 cups organic mixed greens chopped
- 1/2 cup dry quinoa
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 3/4 cup feta cheese crumbled
- 2 granny smith apples {or apple of choice} peeled and chopped
- 3/4 cup chopped pecans
- Hendrickson's Sweet Vinegar and Oil Salad Dressing { available at kroger or dressing of choice}
Instructions
- Rinse quinoa, then add to 1 cup water in small/medium pot, bring to a boil and simmer 15 minutes. Set aside to cool.
- Chop organic greens, apples and pecans.
- Add greens to large bowl, top with cooled quinoa, dried cranberries, feta cheese, apples and pecans. Toss to mix well.
- Stir in 1/4-1/3 cup dressing, continue to toss until well combined. {OR serve without dressing and allow individuals to add their own. Serves 10-12 as a side.
- Store leftovers in refrigerator.
Inspired by Cooking Classy’s Autumn Kale Apple and Quinoa Salad