Quick and Easy Recipe Wednesday

Last night we were in charge of bringing the snack to our birthing class and the focus of our snack was whole grains.  I knew that I wanted to make a quinoa salad with cranberries and walnuts, so I searched the internet for a recipe that looked tasty and easy and here is what I ended up making.

Cranberry Walnut Quinoa Salad

Serves 6 as a starter or side dish or 4 as a main course

1 cup quinoa

2 cups water

1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste

3/4 cup dried cranberries

1 cup frozen green beans or peas, thawed

1/4 cup chopped walnuts

1/4 cup sliced green onion (optional)

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

1-2 cloves of garlic (to taste) minced

freshly ground pepper

1. Rinse the quinoa in several changes of water. Combine the 2 cups water and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a

medium saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to simmer, cover, and continue

cooking until all water is absorbed, about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat, uncover, and allow

to cool for 15 minutes.

2. In a medium bowl, combine the cooked quinoa, dried cranberries, green beans or peas, walnuts,

and green onion (if using) until well mixed.

3. In a small bowl, whisk the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and garlic until well blended. Pour over the

quinoa mixture. Toss until well blended.

4. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before

serving.

I doubled the recipe and used frozen peas and orange flavored dried cranberries, and there was no need to add any salt or pepper. It was a huge hit!  I was hoping we would come home with some leftovers but it was devoured in no time.