Description
A crunchy and comforting salad featuring nutty quinoa, sweet-tart apples, and a tangy honey-mustard dressing topped with crispy shallots.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 cup quinoa
- 2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth (or water)
- 1 large shallot, thinly sliced
- ½–¾ cup neutral oil (for frying)
- 3 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- Pinch of salt
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 2 tart apples, diced
- ½ cup toasted walnuts or pecans (optional)
- 2–3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Rinse quinoa in a fine-mesh sieve under cold water for 30–60 seconds.
- In a medium saucepan, cook quinoa with the vegetable broth (or water) by bringing it to a boil, then reducing to low, covering, and simmering for 12–15 minutes until liquid is absorbed. Let it rest off heat for 10 minutes and fluff with a fork.
- For the crispy shallots, heat the neutral oil to 325–350°F in a heavy skillet. Fry shallots in batches for 1–3 minutes until golden brown. Drain on paper towels and salt immediately.
- Whisk together the Dijon mustard, honey, apple cider vinegar, extra-virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper for the dressing.
- Toss the cooled quinoa with apples, walnuts or pecans (if using), parsley, and half of the dressing. Adjust the dressing amount to taste and top with crispy shallots just before serving.
Notes
Store salad and dressing separately for freshness. Keep crispy shallots at room temperature and add just before serving to maintain crunch.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Salad
- Method: Cooking, Frying
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 300
- Sugar: 8g
- Sodium: 250mg
- Fat: 16g
- Saturated Fat: 2g
- Unsaturated Fat: 14g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 38g
- Fiber: 6g
- Protein: 10g
- Cholesterol: 0mg