Yes, you read that correctly. I’m sharing a recipe today for Favorite Things Friday.
And it’s not any recipe. It’s one that I kind of created myself. Seriously.
For those who’ve been following Keeping Mommy Sane, you know that this is not a food blog, save for my occasional New Food Monday updates (which, yes, we have been totally slacking on). I don’t come up with new and exciting recipes, I don’t really bake and – if we’re being honest – I don’t really like to cook (which is why I thank my lucky stars that I married a guy who does).
But I was inspired by a red quinoa salad I had at Iron Hill Brewery in Pennsylvania when Dr. G. and I were visiting with friends over Thanksgiving. This salad was incredible (and relatively healthy) and I thought it might be easy to recreate at home.
So I actually recreated it – mostly. And you know what? While it may not be the most original salad out there, it was pretty darn good … and super easy!
Red Quinoa Salad a la Keeping Mommy Sane (with props to Iron Hill Brewery for the inspiration)
Ingredients:
1 cup cooked red quinoa (I use the Trader Joe’s brand)
1 small can mandarin oranges, drained
2 bunches of scallions, chopped
1/2 Granny Smith apple, diced
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese (or you can use feta)
Salt and pepper to taste
Dressing:
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup Trader Joe’s Gourmet Orange Muscat Champagne Vinegar (or you can use regular champagne vinegar)
Splash of orange juice (a little more if you’re using regular champagne vinegar)
1 tsp vanilla bean paste (or you could use whole vanilla powder); just don’t use vanilla extract
Instructions:
Cook the quinoa according to the directions on the package. Let cool.
Meanwhile, whisk all dressing ingredients in a small bowl.
When quinoa is cool, add in all the scallions, cranberries, apples and oranges. Add dressing. Once mixed, add goat cheese.
I told you it was easy!
I’m sure there are recipes out there for similar salads, but as someone with major sweet tooth, I really enjoyed the sweetness in the salad and how it was balanced by the tangy cheese. Yum! Let me know if you end up trying it!
Pam Goodley says
Hi Jessica,
I live in California and was on business travel to Delaware earlier this week. I had the red quinoa salad at the Iron Hill Brewery and Googled to find a similar recipe. What a thrill to find your recipe!
My grocery store didn’t have the vanilla bean paste, so I bought the powder. Should I add one teaspoon or a different amount? And how much different is it from the paste? I plan to make the salad Monday night for a Tuesday evening soiree, so there’s a chance I can find the paste between now (Saturday evening) and then, but time is tight as I’m skiing on Sunday. ๐
Thanks!
Pam
Jessica says
Hi! You could try either 1 tsp of the powder (and adjust to taste), or if you have vanilla beans, you could use that (just scrape out the seeds). Good luck ๐