Do your taste buds need a flavorful, healthy boost this week? If your New Year’s resolution is to eat healthier this year, try this salad. This salad features nutty quinoa, sweet dried fruit, fresh herbs, tangy bell peppers, crunchy cucumbers, and toasted almonds. It is packed with protein, is vegetarian and vegan, offers a gluten-free meal, has no sugar added, and is full of flavor.

Quinoa is a whole grain that originates from South America. It is a complete protein, which means that it contains all of the necessary protein components, called essential amino acids, you need (read more about complete proteins here). And, quinoa does not contain gluten—which is great for folks who are sensitive to it.

I love this salad because it highlights many different textures: light, delicate quinoa, chewy dried fruit, and crunchy toasted almonds. It can be served cold or warm. And, it can be offered to folks who are sensitive to gluten, are vegan, or prefer a vegetarian option.

Here’s the recipe for Quinoa Salad with fruit, herbs, veggies, and almonds:

Ingredients:

• 1½ cups uncooked quinoa
• 3 cups water

• ½ cup almond slivers
• A handful of fresh chives
• A small bunch of fresh oregano
• A sprig of fresh thyme

• ½ cup unsweetened, dried cherries
• ½ large bell pepper (yellow, orange, or red)
• One medium cucumber
• 8 cups of assorted fresh greens
• Your favorite homemade vinaigrette
• Cracked black pepper

Instructions:

To make quinoa…

• Measure 1.5 cups of uncooked quinoa into a medium pot
• Stir in 3 cups of water
• Bring quinoa and water mixture to a boil
• Then, once the mixture has come to a boil, simmer mixture until all the water has evaporated and quinoa looks fluffy, like this:

• Once quinoa is dry and fluffy, let cool for 10 minutes.

While the quinoa is cooking…

• Toast your almonds in the toaster oven at 250°F until golden brown
• Chop chives, oregano, and thyme into small pieces, put to the side
• Chop dried cherries in half (a mix of unsweetened raisins, apricots, and cherries works well too!)
• Cut bell pepper into bite-sized pieces (in the pictures, I used a yellow pepper, but orange or red would work here as well)

• Cut a medium cucumber into bite-sized pieces

Once the quinoa is cooked and cooled…

• Fold the above ingredients into your quinoa. Gently mix until ingredients are distributed throughout.

• Add assorted fresh greens to a salad bowl, and lightly drizzle your favorite vinaigrette. For my vinaigrette, I like mixing the juice of ½ lemon with a tablespoon of olive oil.
• Toss your assorted fresh greens with your quinoa mixture.
• Serve with a turn of freshly cracked black pepper

Makes about eight servings

I’ll be using this salad for lunches this week!

What did you think of this quinoa salad? Let us know in the comments below.

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