I’m just not good with directions.
I really don’t know how this happened. This can be a bit of a disaster when I’m driving somewhere. I have a 2 U-turn minimum. It can be frustrating for those in the car. I’ve just come to accept it as a fact of life. Besides, it’s about the journey, not the destination, right? Right.
Besides, sometimes when you don’t follow directions, you end up somewhere even better than you intended.
At least, that’s what I told Sophia, who organized a little potluck dinner with some girl friends. Technically I was supposed to bring some kind of apple-artichoke salad. Which would have been great, except that I couldn’t find any artichokes. And I live so close to the Carytown Farmer’s Market, I figured I should probably go pick up some produce… and then it only made sense to make a recipe using all that fresh, local, in season produce.
Apple Cranberry Quinoa Salad
- 1 cup quinoa
- 2 cups water
- 2 cups butternut squash (about 1/2 medium sized squash)
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries
- 1/4 cup almonds
- 1 medium apple
- 3 tbsp Balsamic Vinegarette (see note)
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
Note: I used the Wholesome Goodness Balsamic Vinegarette which is delicious! If they don’t sell that in your area, feel free to use any type of Balsamic dressing. I recommend using one that is a little bit sweet.
Start by rinsing and draining your quinoa. Then bring the water to a boil. Add quinoa and boil for about 15 minutes, or until the water has been absorbed. While that’s boiling, peel and dice your squash into 1 inch cubes. Spread onto a greased baking sheet and roast in the oven for about 35 minutes, at 350 degrees. Let the quinoa cool and add in cranberries. These will absorb the last bit of moisture. Then add the almonds. Once the squash is soft, let cool, and stir into the quinoa mixture. Shortly before serving, dice your apple and toss it in. (You can do it ahead of time but it’ll get a little brown.) Drizzle with balsamic vinaigrette, sprinkle with brown sugar and serve!
It’s actually amazing the variety of foods we had using apples!
I’ll definitely have to post the recipe for that apple salad in the top left. So delicious & healthy! The apple & pumpkin muffins were amazing as well.
I still have some produce from the Farmer’s Market and I bought some more quinoa, lentils, and split peas at Ellwood Thompson, so I’m going to try to think of some things to do with those… ideas? I really want to try a vegetarian split pea soup recipe, since all the ones I’ve seen so far contain ham. We shall see.
What’s your favorite apple dish?
All of those dishes do look amazing! I have a bag of cranberries I bought for a recipe last week that I didn’t get around to making – looks like fate wanted me to save them for this dish
And who can argue with fate?!
Usually if I am having quinoa I have it as a savoury dish, but this sounds like an excellent idea to mix it up a bit! Thanks for sharing!
I love savory quinoa too! It’s so good with some nutritional yeast!
Mmm… my favourite might be apple crumble cake… not so healthy though!
I love finding new ways of using quinoa – thanks for sharing! And my favorite way to use apples is in my grilled cheese sandwiches/paninis. The added sweeteness and crunch are awesome. Not quite an apple dish but the apple really is the most important ingredient!
Oh my gosh I never would have thought of it in a panini!!! That sounds awesome!!
Looks so healthy, Liz. I can’t wait to try.
this is such a perfect fall dish!
This sounds amazing girl! I love all things quinoa and apples
Caramel Apple or Apple Pie Nutty Butter would have been a great addition to that feast, no?
Actually, my favorite apple dish is either simple roasted grapes + apples (sweet or savory–as in my Quin-Waldorf Salad) or a cranberry apple bake that we always have at Thanksgiving…but I started to make all year long.
P.S. I totally substituted that Balsamic Dressing (which you know I am OBSESSED with) for plain old balsamic vinegar in my PB&J Kale
Ohhh I’m going to have to try your quin-waldorf salad!!!
Ah, quinoa is one thing I miss so much on the Paleo diet. I am planning to have some soon as a treat to myself
This looks awesome!!! Thanks for posting.
I really like quinoa but have only used in a few ways so far, this could be given a go. Although I think I am going to have to do the pumpkin muffins first while they are still in season!
Yes, Liz…Please Please post all of the recipes!!
I will
The apple and yogurt salad was SO good!
Hmmm very interesting recipe and very original…totally worth trying myself!
Seeing quinoa recipes popping up all over the blog world makes me think I should give that little pseudo-grain another chance. This salad looks really creative but easy to prepare at the same – great!
You totally should!!! I love using it in stir fries like “fried rice”
Apples are the best- especially right now! This recipe looks amazing, just as all of your other apple foods do!
I love all the fall inspired food.That pot of soup looks exceptionally delicious!
& apples pair well with so many things!
Yum! That sounds so delicious! I have a butternut sitting on my counter that I might just have to use for this!
Hmm in that case, I’ll drive for the hiking trip
Probably for the best
Yes, please post that apple salad recipe. It looks so good!
What an awesome recipe! I have been loving quinoa lately and always enjoy a new way to try it.
This sounds amazing! I’ve been searching for more squash recipes, and I kind of adore me some quinoa, so this is perfect!
It looks delish! And I absolutely love butterut squash, so this recipe is just perfect
This looks yummy!
Looks wonderful! Including the butternut squash and the orange color makes it very appealing! Always looking for a good complex salad for my vegetarian daughter. This will be great at Thanksgiving !!
you can never go wrong with a dish including any one of those three ingredients… put them together and you’ve got a recipe powerhouse
Wow, this salad looks beautiful. I love apples any way I can get them, although I did make an apple and sweet potato Tian this past weekend.
YUM! Looks and sounds absolutely delicious.
Mmm, I’m going to try this!!