Warm Carrot & Quinoa Salad

by Michele Pesula Kuegler | June 15th, 2015 | Recipes, Salads, Vegetarian
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Warm Carrot Quinoa SaladIt’s the beginning of June, which means technically it’s still spring but mentally we all view it as summer. If you live in New Hampshire, as I do, Mother Nature likes to provide reminders as to what season it truly is. Last week I had an evening alone and planned on making a nice, chilled salad for my dinner. However, the temperature hovered in the upper 40s all day long as a steady rain fell. This was not chilled salad weather.

cold weather = warm meal

That’s an equation in my meal planning book.  I thought about how I could transform the salad from chilled to warm, which wasn’t difficult for the main ingredient. The tricky part would be determining what dressing to use. As a cold salad, I had planned on using Greek yogurt as the base. Then I remembered that I had some leftover cranberry sauce from a previous dinner. Cranberry sauce would give this salad a Thanksgiving feel, which kind of matched the weather outside. Not freezing, but pretty darn chilly.

This is a light, vegetarian salad. If you’re looking to make it heartier, you could add some toasted walnuts. For your carnivorous diners, some cooked chicken would be a good option. If you want to pair it with a cocktail, What’s Up, Doc?, created by the bartender at the Loews Ventana Canyon would be delicious. Be sure to visit Parched No More to get the recipe.

For a lighter entrée salad with a nice array of flavors, this is one you have to try.

 

Warm Carrot & Quinoa Salad

Serves 1




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Prep Time
5 min

Cook Time
30 min

Total Time
40 min

Prep Time
5 min

Cook Time
30 min

Total Time
40 min

Ingredients
  1. 1/4 cup quinoa
  2. 1/2 cup water
  3. olive oil
  4. 1-2 Tb. sweet onion, finely chopped
  5. 1/3 cup diced carrots
  6. 2 Tb. cranberry sauce
  7. salt & pepper
Instructions
  1. Combine quinoa and water in a small saucepot and bring to a boil.
  2. When boiling, reduce to a simmer and cover. Cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally and adding more water if needed.
  3. While quinoa simmers, heat small frying pan over medium heat. Coat bottom of pan with olive oil.
  4. When pan is heated, add onions and cook until translucent, approximately 10 minutes.
  5. Fill a second small saucepot with water and bring to a boil. Add diced carrots and cook for 3-5 minutes or until tender.
  6. Transfer cooked quinoa to a serving bowl.
  7. Drain the carrots, discarding the water, and add carrots to quinoa.
  8. Top with cooked onions and cranberry sauce. Stir well.
  9. Season with salt and pepper as desired.
Think Tasty https://www.thinktasty.com/

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