Quinoa Wilted Spinach Salad

Name: Quinoa Wilted Spinach Salad
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 10 servings.
Ingredients: 2 cups water; 1 cup quinoa, rinsed; 1 package (6 ounces) fresh baby spinach, torn; 1/2 cup dried cranberries; DRESSING:; 3 tablespoons olive oil; 2 tablespoons orange juice; 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar; 1 tablespoon maple syrup; 1 garlic clove, minced; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/8 teaspoon pepper; 1 green onion, finely chopped; 1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted

Get all the nutritious benefits of quinoa, spinach and cranberries paired with the crunchy texture of nuts in this easy and scrumptious salad. A light, flavorful dressing splashed with citrus tops everything off! —Sharon Ricci, Mendon, New York

Ingredients

2 cups water
1 cup quinoa, rinsed
1 package (6 ounces) fresh baby spinach, torn
1/2 cup dried cranberries
DRESSING:
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons orange juice
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 green onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted

Directions

In a small saucepan, bring water to a boil. Add quinoa. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 12-15 minutes or until water is absorbed. Remove from the heat; fluff with a fork.
In a large bowl, combine the warm quinoa, spinach and cranberries. For dressing, in a small bowl, whisk the oil, orange juice, vinegar, maple syrup, garlic, salt and pepper. Stir in onion. Pour over quinoa mixture; toss to coat. Sprinkle with pecans.

Editor's Note

Look for quinoa in the cereal, rice or organic food aisle.

Nutrition Facts

3/4 cup: 171 calories, 9g fat (1g saturated fat), 0 cholesterol, 136mg sodium, 20g carbohydrate (6g sugars, 2g fiber), 3g protein.

Reviews

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Average Rating:

jhutcheson

Feb 1, 2016

My husband and adult kids thought this salad was delicious. I substituted chopped sweet onion for the green onion and reduced the amount of quinoa, probably by half. The toasted pecans were a great addition. I would not add anything else--there are lots of flavours that go really well together.
rwippel

Aug 11, 2014

I wasn't impressed. I liked the idea of a quick, easy, healthy meal, but this wasn't doing it for me.
unamariamas1

May 16, 2014

excelente
contrarywife

Mar 18, 2014

This salad is great! Took it to work for lunch to share and we all liked it a lot; I'll be making it again. I substituted lime juice (didn't have any oranges), and chopped red onion, and reduced the amount of quinoa as others suggested. I'll be making it again soon. I'll add mandarin oranges next time, I think they'd be a great addition.Update April 2014: Made this again, this time I made the dressing as written, substituted toasted sesame seeds for the pecans and added mandarin oranges - EVEN YUMMIER! You'll love this one, folks!
proesner

Mar 2, 2014

Not my favorite quinoa salad, but one that I'm willing to eat again.
danali2001

Jul 30, 2013

Excellent salad! Was out of red wine vinegar so had to use apple cider vinegar instead and it tasted great. Also used finely chopped sweet onion instead of green onion. Next time I think I'll try it with grilled chicken.
lbraden

Mar 20, 2013

Great salad. I cut the quinoa in half as someone suggested (and because I'm still trying to break my husband in to quinoa) and substituted diced sweet onion for the green onion, added diced cucumber and diced strawberries. Big hit, thinking about adding apples next time. Definitely will make again.
ksinglek

Mar 11, 2013

Not a fan of the quinoa, might leave it out next time.
RHergenroeder

Dec 24, 2012

This salad was very good; something different! I recommend using only 1/2 the recommended amount of Quinoa.
Blinkygatto2

Feb 21, 2012

First time I used quinoa -- and I'm so pleased it was for this delicious recipe!