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Monday, April 8, 2013

Quinoa Salad with Sweet Potatoes and Apples

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Recently Ryan's been traveling for business a lot. He spent a little over a week in Korea, only to come home for a weekend before jetting off to L.A. for most of the week. I find that when he's gone for work, it kind of throws off my cooking mojo. It becomes easy for me to revert back to my single girl days and dine on popcorn for dinner! While this still happens from time to time, I make an effort to still cook at least a recipe or two while he's away.
 I ended up being glad he was away for this one, because I got it all to myself! This is the type of salad you want to make on Sunday and enjoy it for lunch for the next few days.  It's only lightly dressed, so it won't get soggy sitting in the fridge for a few days. The first day I ate it, the red onions were a little too strong for me, but they seemed to mellow out after a day or so. I'd still include them, but maybe reduce the amount of them if you aren't a big fan.
One Year Ago: Happy Easter!
Two Years Ago: Sandwich Inspiration
Three Years Ago: Mexican Salad

Quinoa Salad with Sweet Potatoes and Apples
from Food and Wine November 2012

Ingredients:
-1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, divided
-1 1/2 cups quinoa
-salt
-1 1/2 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch dice
-freshly ground pepper
-1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
-2 large Granny Smith apples, cut into 1/2-inch dice
-1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
-1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced
-8 packed cups baby greens, such as arugula or kale (about 6 oz)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400F. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the quinoa and toast over moderate heat for 2 minutes while stirring. Add 3 cups water, season with salt, and bring to a boil. Cover the pot and simmer for 16 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to stand for 10 minutes. Fluff the quinoa, spread it on a baking sheet, and refrigerate for 20 minutes, until chilled.
2. Meanwhile, toss sweet potatoes with 1 tbsp olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Spread on a foil lined baking sheet and roast for 25 minutes, until golden and soft. Allow to cool.
3. Whisk 6 remaining tbsp of olive oil with the vinegar in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Add the quinoa, sweet potatoes, apples, parsley, onion, and greens, tossing to evenly coat. Serve immediately.
*Sweet potatoes and quinoa can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge for up to two days.