Crispy Quinoa Apple Salad with Spiced Tahini Dressing
Easy, fresh and oh-so-flavorful Crispy Quinoa Apple Salad with Spiced Tahini Dressing. This crowd-pleasing salad is gorgeous and full of good stuff! A delicious blend of flavors and textures.
Ingredients
CRISPY QUINOA:
- ¼ cup uncooked quinoa
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
SALAD:
- 2 cups arugula, roughly chopped
- 2 cups spinach, roughly chopped
- 1 big Cripps Pink apple, thinly sliced
- ½ cup cooked chickpeas
- ¼ cup toasted pecans, roughly chopped*
- 3 Tbsp dried cranberries
- Sea salt and pepper to taste
SPICED TAHINI DRESSING:
- 2 Tbsp tahini
- 2 Tbsp apple cider Vinegar
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tsp coconut nectar or maple syrup
- ¼ tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp ground cardamom
Instructions
- To cook the quinoa, rinse well and place it in a small pot with lots of water. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 15 – 20 minutes, until tender. Drain well and let cool completely.
- Preheat the oven to 375 °F / 190 °C.
- Add quinoa to a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and a pinch of sea salt. Mix (using a spoon or your hands) until the quinoa is well coated in the oil.
- Bake, stirring every 10 minutes, for 20 – 30 minutes, or until the quinoa is golden and crispy.
- While the quinoa is in the oven make the dressing. Place all the dressing ingredients in a small jar, close the lid and shake until combined. Or add ingredients to a small bowl and whisk until combined.
- To serve the salad, I like to layer all the salad ingredients (arugula, spinach, apple, chickpeas, pecans, cranberries and crispy quinoa) in a pretty way, see picture. Then drizzle the salad with the spiced tahini dressing. Alternatively, you can place all the salad ingredients in a medium bowl, add the creamy dressing, sea salt and pepper and gently toss to combine.
- Serve immediately and enjoy!
- This salad is best enjoyed right away. If you don’t want to use all the crispy quinoa, you can store the leftovers in a jar in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.
Notes
* To toast the pecans, place them on a baking sheet (no oil) and roast in the oven for 7-10 minutes, until golden and fragrant. Remove and let cool. Then roughly chop the pecans.