Roasted Onion Apple Quinoa Salad

Image

ROASTED ONION APPLE QUINOA SALAD

A new quinoa recipe for you:) I eat quinoa a few times a month and like to mix it up with how I prepare it, this roasted onion apple quinoa salad with maple mustard dressing is so good and easy to make:)

An easy meal to prep ahead of time and have for lunches later in the week. A couple of years ago, I got into meal planning and prepping. Every week or so I go through my kitchen, see what I have on hand, think about the meals I want to try and make the following week, write out a grocery list, shop, then prep the food. 

That might sound like alot of work, but I rarely have those moments where 5 o’clock rolls around I have no clue what I’m making. I also never let food go to waste and always have an idea what’s in my fridge:) So in actuality, I have more time and less stress when it comes to food.

I want to remind you that soaking your quinoa is really helpful for digestion. I actually try to soak mine for at least 12 hours before I cook it, I have also heard that you can pressure cook it in your instant pots or pressure cookers and it helps with digestibility as well.

WHAT YOU NEED

  • 1 cup of quinoa (soaked for at 4 hours and then cooked to package instructions)
  • 2 cups of vegetable broth to cook the quinoa
  • 1-2 sweet onions cut thin strips.
  • 1 large local organic apple, cut into small chunks
  • 1 cup of arugula (or any leafy green)
  • 1/2 cup of pumpkin seeds
  • 1/4 cup of goji berries (or cranberries)

FOR THE DRESSING

  • 1/4 cup of good quality oil (I prefer hemp oil or Omega oil from Vega)
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp of apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tbsp of maple syrup
  • 1 tbsp of mustard (I used a speciality dijon and it was amazing)
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • salt and pepper

WHAT TO DO

  1. Soak the quinoa. After soaking it, give it a rinse and cook in the vegetable broth according to the package (usually 15-20 minutes).
  2. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. After cutting the onions into thin strips lay them out on the cookie sheets and drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Bake for 15- 20 minutes stirring frequently until they turn a bit crispy and golden brown. If you wanted to go the extra mile, you could coat them with flour to make them onion rings like this recipe Crispy Onion Rings.
  3. Now it’s time to make the dressing. Easy to do… add everything to a mason jar and give it a good shake or blend in your blender.
  4. And lastly, time to assemble this salad! Add the chopped apple, pumpkin seeds, goji berries, arugula and onions then drizzle with the dressing and stir well to combine all the flavours.

You could easily add chicken to this salad to boost your protein or serve as a weeknight meal. Hope this helps make your meal prepping a little easier and helps with loading up on the good things you need to fuel your busy days.