Description
This colorful apple sweet potato quinoa salad blends hearty quinoa with roasted sweet potatoes and crisp apple chunks. Mediterranean-inspired flavors and crunchy pecans create a nutritious meal that refreshes your palate with each delightful bite.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients:
- 1 cup quinoa, uncooked
- 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and diced into ¼-inch cubes (about 340 grams)
- 1 Granny Smith apple, cored and diced into ½-inch cubes
Salad Components:
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- ½ cup chopped pecans, roasted
- 2 tablespoons minced red onion
Dressing Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon minced shallot
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
Additional Liquid:
- 2 cups apple cider (or juice)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
- Prepare a scorching kitchen environment by heating the oven to 400°F, creating an ideal roasting atmosphere for sweet potatoes.
- Transform diced sweet potatoes with a luxurious olive oil massage, spreading them across a baking sheet in a uniform landscape, then roast until they develop a golden, caramelized exterior with tender inner regions.
- While potatoes transform, cleanse quinoa thoroughly under cool running water, removing any residual bitterness.
- Elevate apple cider and quinoa in a saucepan, bringing them to a vigorous boil before reducing to a gentle simmer, allowing grains to absorb liquid and soften.
- During quinoa’s final cooking moments, introduce dried cranberries, permitting them to plump and integrate with the grains.
- Assemble a vibrant medley in a spacious mixing vessel, combining cooled quinoa, cranberries, roasted sweet potatoes, crisp apple cubes, and piquant red onion fragments.
- Craft a harmonious maple vinaigrette by blending maple syrup, delicate shallot, robust Dijon mustard, tangy apple cider vinegar, seasoning with salt and pepper.
- Gradually incorporate olive oil into the vinaigrette, creating a smooth, emulsified dressing that will embrace the salad ingredients.
- Drench the quinoa mixture with the maple vinaigrette, ensuring each ingredient receives a glistening coating.
- Garnish with toasted pecans, offering a crunchy counterpoint to the salad’s soft textures, and serve at a comfortable ambient temperature.
Notes
- Maximize flavor by roasting sweet potatoes until golden brown, stirring occasionally to ensure even caramelization and prevent burning.
- Cook quinoa in apple cider for a subtle sweet undertone, adding dried cranberries during the last few minutes to plump and infuse extra richness.
- Dice apples and red onion just before mixing to maintain crisp texture and prevent browning.
- Create a balanced maple vinaigrette by slowly whisking olive oil to emulsify and develop a smooth, cohesive dressing.
- Customize the salad by toasting pecans beforehand to enhance their nutty flavor and provide a satisfying crunch.
- Serve the salad warm or at room temperature to preserve the vibrant flavors and delicate textures of each ingredient.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Lunch, Dinner, Snacks
- Method: Roasting
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6
- Calories: 400
- Sugar: 20 g
- Sodium: 300 mg
- Fat: 22 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 18 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 50 g
- Fiber: 7 g
- Protein: 8 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg