Sweet and Crunchy Quinoa Salad
Serves 8
1 cup quinoa, rinsed
1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes (try to keep them all the same size)
3½ tablespoons olive oil
⅓ cup pine nuts, toasted
4 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons honey
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon cinnamon
Salt and pepper
⅓ cup dried cranberries
4 green onions, thinly sliced
Preheat oven to 400°F.
In a small sauce pan, place the quinoa and 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat a little and let it simmer for 15 minutes, or until all of the water has evaporated. Turn off the heat and cover the quinoa. Let it sit for at least 1 hour, but preferably 3 hours.
While the quinoa is cooking, place the sweet potato cubes in a large baking pan and drizzle ½ tablespoon of olive oil over them. Put in the oven and bake for 25 minutes, or until you can just pierce the cubes with a fork. Set aside.
In a small bowl, combine the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil, apple cider vinegar, honey, cumin, cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ¼ pepper. Mix everything together well.
Once the quinoa is dry, use a fork to break apart the seeds. Add the loose quinoa to a large serving bowl. Add half the vinaigrette to the quinoa and mix everything together. Add more vinaigrette, to taste, depending on how you like your quinoa. Mix in the roasted sweet potatoes, toasted pine nuts, dried cranberries, and green onions until everything has combined. Serve room temperature.
Enjoy!
