Quinoa Salad with Hazelnuts, Apple, and Dried Cranberries

Serves 4

1 cup quinoa, rinsed well (any other grain will do as well. I used farro)
1 1/2 cups water, for quinoa
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 small onion, finely diced
2 stalks of celery, finely diced
1 cup hazelnuts, toasted, de-skinned and chopped (or use any nuts you have - I used almond slivers and raw cashews)
1 bunch (about 5 to 6) green onions, chopped (green parts only)
1/2 cup dried cranberries, chopped * see note
1 bunch flat leaf parsley, thoroughly rinsed and chopped
1 gala apple (really, any kind of apple will do)
1 large lemon, juiced
Generous drizzle of any kind of oil (I like hazelnut)
Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. Preheat your oven to 325F and toast your hazelnuts for about 7-10 minutes. Let them cool completely. You should begin to hear their skins crackle while cooling; this is a good sign!  Skip this step if you don't use hazelnuts.
2. Meanwhile, cook your quinoa. Importantly, rinse it well! Boil the water with a pinch of salt, and add your rinsed quinoa. Turn your stove down to medium-low and let it cook for roughly 15 minutes, or until the water is absorbed. Fluff quinoa with a fork, and let it cool in the fridge. 
3. Going back to the cooled, toasted hazelnuts; remove the skins. Chop the hazelnuts up, leaving them in large pieces. Skip this step if you don't use hazelnuts.
4. Preheat a skillet with 1 tbsp of oil and soften your finely chopped onion and celery. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper to taste. Try not to brown them, 5 to 7 minutes on medium - low heat should do the trick. Set aside in a large salad bowl. 
5. Rinse your parsley well and chop it finely followed by your dried cranberries and green onions. Add all this to the onion and celery mixture. 
6. Core and dice the apple, put your apple chunks in the bowl with the other ingredients. Squeeze the entire lemon over the apple to season the salad and prevent the apple from turning brown. 
7. Add your quinoa and hazelnuts to the mixture, drizzle with the oil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Season with more lemon juice if you like. Mix well and cool completely. Allow the flavors to meld for 20 minutes before serving! 

Recipe is from Food52. They recommend using good quality dried cranberries. Craisins work but they tend to turn the salad a pinkish hue after a few hours, and may be too sweet.

Blueberry & Kale Grain Salad

Yield: Makes 8 servings (or 4/5 meals)
Hands-on: 20 Minutes
Total: 2 Hours, 5 Minutes

Salad Ingredients:
1 cup wheat berries (which takes an hour to make. A quicker substitute is Farro)
1 teaspoon table salt
1 (8-oz.) package sugar snap peas
4 cups coarsely chopped kale
1/2 cup Red Wine Vinaigrette
2 cups fresh blueberries (awesome addition are purple grapes)
1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans
3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

Preparation: 
1. Bring wheat berries, salt, and 4 cups water to a boil in a saucepan. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 1 hour.

2. Meanwhile, cook peas in boiling salted water to cover 2 minutes or until crisp-tender; drain. Plunge into ice water; drain and pat dry. Slice in half. Drain wheat berries; rinse under cold water until cool.

3. Toss together kale, wheat berries, and 1/4 cup vinaigrette in a large bowl. Let stand 30 minutes. Stir in blueberries, pecans, and sugar snap peas. Add salt and pepper. Sprinkle with cheese. Serve with remaining vinaigrette.



Red Wine Vinaigrette Ingredients:
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 large shallot, minced
2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons coarse-grained Dijon mustard

Preparation:
Stir together red wine vinegar and minced shallot; let stand 10 minutes. Whisk in olive oil and remaining ingredients. Add salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate in an airtight container up to 1 week.

Notes: 
Recipe from Southern Living's july-2014-recipe-list.

Roasted Sweet Potato and Farro Salad

• Prep Time20 minutes
• Total Time1 hour
• Serves4

Ingredients

• • 2 pounds sweet potatoes (about 4 medium), scrubbed and cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 3 cloves garlic, unpeeled
  • 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 1 cup semi-pearled farro (about 7 ounces)
  • Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
  • 1/2 cup lightly packed fresh dill, chopped
  • 1/2 cup radish or arugula sprouts or baby watercress, plus more for garnish

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Divide sweet potatoes and garlic between 2 rimmed baking sheets. Drizzle with 3 tablespoons oil; season with salt and pepper. Toss to coat and spread into a single layer. Roast, flipping once, until tender and caramelized, about 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, cover farro with 4 inches water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cook until tender, 30 to 35 minutes. Drain; toss with remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a large bowl. Season with salt.
3. When cool enough to handle, remove garlic from peels and mash with lemon zest and juice in a small bowl. Add garlic mixture, sweet potatoes, dill, and sprouts to farro; stir until combined. Season with salt and pepper, and garnish with sprouts.

Cook's Note

Keep the skins on sweet potatoes to save time, fiber, and nutrients. When roasted, skins offer a great textural contrast to the creamy flesh.

From Martha Stewart's December 2013 Magazine.

Recipe is a little dry. Maybe need to add butter or olive oil to lemon garlic sauce. 

Winter Kale & Squash Citrus Salad

Ingredients
Kale
Butternut Squash, peeled, cut & roasted in 400 degree oven for 1 hour
Grapefruit
Dried Cranberries
Raw Cashews
Cherry Tomatoes
Balsamic Vinaigrette for dressing

Buttermilk Chicken Salad

Prep Time: 10; Marinate Time: 8 hours; 

Cook Time: 20 minutes; READY IN: 8.5 hours

Fried Chicken Ingredients:
2 large chicken breasts, each cut in half
2 cups buttermilk
1/2 onion, sliced
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried tarragon
1/2 teaspoon paprika
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper, divided
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
salt and pepper
2 cups vegetable oil

Salad Ingredients:
2-3 cups chopped romaine lettuce
1 navel orange, peeled and sliced
1 tomato, seeded and chopped
ranch dressing, optional

Directions:
In a medium bowl, combine the buttermilk, onion, parsley, thyme, tarragon, paprika, and 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper.  Mix together and submerge chicken breasts.  Cover and let sit in fridge for about 8 hours.

Remove chicken from buttermilk and set aside on a plate.

In a shallow dish, combine flour, garlic powder, onion powder, remaining 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper.  Mix well.

Dredge chicken in flour mixture and coat well.  Set aside.

In a large cast iron skillet, heat the vegetable oil under medium high heat.  You'll know it's hot enough when a bit of flour sizzles quickly when added.

Add 2 chicken breast halves at a time and fry for about 7-9 minutes per side, or until cooked through.  Place cooked chicken on paper towel-lined plate and cover with foil.  Repeat with remaining 2 chicken breast halves.

To assemble the salad, combine the romaine lettuce, tomato, and navel orange.  Toss well.  Slice up chicken and place atop lettuce.  Drizzle salad dressing.

Comments:
Recipe from my bf likes it so it must be good.
I like spicy salad dressing with this dish.

Southwest Black Bean Salad

Ingredients
1 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 corn on the cobb, grilled
1 green pepper
2 tomatoes or a pint cherry tomatoes, chopped
1/2 avocado
2 limes to be used as dressing
splash of olive oil to be used with lime juice (optional)
parsley or cilantro
salt and pepper to taste

Roasted Broccoli, Asparagus and Grape Quinoa Salad

Makes 3 to 4 servings * Ready in 30 minutes

Original recipe posted on Dish Up Delights. Modified version below.

INGREDIENTS

• 2lb broccoli, (1lb cut) washed, dried and cut into florets
• 8 ounces large seedless grapes, washed and dried
• 1 asparagus bunch, cut into 1 or 2-inch pieces
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1/3 dry quinoa
• 3 handfuls baby arugula
• 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard (optional)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons roughly chopped roasted and salted pistachios (optional)

DIRECTIONS

• Boil 1 cup water and throw in quinoa. Boil per directions on the packaging (approximately 15 minutes).
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil.
• Toss the broccoli, grapes, and asparagus with enough olive oil to lightly coat them. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Roast for 20-30 minutes or until the grapes are blistered and the broccoli and asparagus are slightly charred.
• In a large bowl, toss the the broccoli, grapes, and asparagus with the quinoa and arugula. In a small bowl, whisk together 1 tablespoon of olive oil, the balsamic, and Dijon mustard. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Toss the dressing with the salad and combine well. Adjust the seasonings if necessary. Garnish with pistachios. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.

Spring Salad with Warm Blackberry Dressing

A refreshing, sweet and savory salad.  Perfect for spring.

Serves 4; Ready In; 15 min; Cook Time 10 min

For the blackberry sauce (original recipe here):

12 oz. blackberries, rinsed and drained (2 packages)

¼ cup sugar

1 tbsp. cornstarch

1 tbsp. cold water

1/3 lemon freshly squeezed

lemon zest

Modified version of Paula Deen's Spinach & Berry Salad:

1 lb Baby Spinach Leaves, washed and fully dried

1/2 red onion, very thinly sliced

2 eggs, hard boiled and sliced

1/4 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped

1/4 cup fresh raspberries for garnish

1/8 cup fresh blackberries for garnish


Directions:

For the salad, combine in a large bowl the spinach, onion and egg together. Garnish with walnuts and fresh berries. 


To make the blackberry sauce, combine the blackberries and sugar in a medium saucepan set over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the berries begin to release some of their juices and the mixture is simmering. Stir in the lemon juice and zest. Combine the cornstarch and water in a small bowl; whisk until smooth. Add the cornstarch mixture to the blackberries and mix well. Reduce the heat to medium and let cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture comes to a low boil and thickens slightly. Remove from the heat and keep warm if desired.  The sauce will thicken slightly as it cools.


Serve immediately.

Inside Out Spring Roll Salad

Serves 4; Prep Time 30 mins; Cook Time 2 mins; Ready In 35 mins

SALAD INGREDIENTS:
2 oz Bean Thread, mung bean noodles
3 cups Shredded Napa Cabbage
1 cup Torn Watercress
1 Carrot, cut into matchstick thin strips
½ cup Seedless Cucumber, cut into matchstick thin strips
½ cup Red Bell Pepper, cut into matchstick thin strips
1 Green Onion, minced
1 cup Chopped Baby Corn
2 Tbsp Snipped Cilantro
2 Tbsp Snipped Mint JA prefers w/o the mint

DRESSING INGREDIENTS:
1 Tbsp Sesame Oil
2 Tbsp Sweet Chili Sauce
2 Tbsp Lime Juice
1 tsp Soy Sauce
1 tsp Minced Ginger Root
1 Large Clove Garlic, crushed 1/2 will do...
½ tsp Lime Zest
Garnish- Black Sesame Seeds


DIRECTIONS:
Soak the bean threads in warm water to cover for 10 minutes or till pliable. Drain, then cook in boiling water till the noodles expand and appear glasslike, 1-2 minutes. Drain, rinse with cold water and drain again. Cut into 4-inch lengths. Place in a large bowl along with the rest of the salad ingredients. In a small bowl whisk together the ingredients for the dressing till well combined; toss with the salad to evenly coat. Garnish with sesame seeds.

COMMENTS: This recipe was the winner of BetterRecipes.com Chinese Recipe contest.

Orzo Salad

Yields 6 side servings or 4 meals. Ready in 20 minutes. 

Ingredients
* 1.5 cups whole wheat orzo
* cherry tomatoes, halved
* 1 zucchini, diced
* Spinach, chopped
* 1/2 or 1/3 red onion, thinly sliced
* Fresh mint, chopped
* dried basil
* Olive Oil
* Balsamic Vinegar
* Lemon


Directions
Boil orzo for approximately 10 minutes. Drain and cool. Combine cherry tomatoes, zucchini, chopped spinach, chopped mint, red onion in a bowl. Add Orzo. Sprinkle dried basil, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar and lemon.

Grilled Pear Arugala Salad

Optional: Add Salmon filets

Serves 3
Ingredients:
2 barlett pears, sliced
2/3 bag arugala salad mix
1/2 purple onion, thinly sliced
1/3 cup walnuts
1/3 cup yellow raisins
Balsamic vinaigrette dressing

Directions:
* Grill sliced pears on medium heat for approximately 5 minutes, 2.5 on each side. Remove and cool for 5 minutes
* Add all arugala, onion, walnuts and yellow raisins into a bowl and mix. Add grilled pears.
* Serve with balsamic vinaigrette dressing.

Green Apple Salad

INGREDIENTS
Spinach
2 Granny Smith Apples, slivered
Walnuts
Yellow Raisins
1 Sweet Red Pepper
1/2 Purple Onion
If you would like, add chicken
Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing

Serves 3
Looking for tips to improve this salad!

Red Rice and Quinoa Salad with Orange and Pistachios Recipe - Yotam Ottolenghi | Food & Wine

Red Rice and Quinoa Salad with Orange and Pistachios Recipe - Yotam Ottolenghi | Food & Wine

INGREDIENTS

1 cup quinoa

1 cup Camargue red rice (see Note)

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil I only used 1 tablespoon

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1/3 cup fresh orange juice no pulp

1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated orange zest

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 cup dried apricots, cut into 1/3-inch dice

1/2 cup roasted pistachios, chopped nuts are expensive, so I just used what I had at home: almond slivers and raw cashews

4 scallions, thinly sliced good call

2 cups baby arugula leaves

DIRECTIONS

1. Bring 2 medium saucepans of salted water to a boil. Add the quinoa to 1 saucepan and the red rice to the other. Cover and simmer over moderate heat until tender, about 12 minutes for the quinoa and 35 minutes for the rice. Drain the grains and spread them out on baking sheets to cool.
2. In a medium skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Add the onion, season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Let cool.
3. In a large bowl, combine the orange juice, orange zest, lemon juice, garlic and the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Add the quinoa, rice, onion, apricots, pistachios and scallions and toss well. Serve with the arugula.

MAKE AHEAD

The cooked quinoa and rice and the dressing can be refrigerated separately overnight. Bring to room temperature before proceeding with the recipe.

NOTES

Camargue red rice is available at specialty food and health food stores. Brown rice makes an excellent substitute.

One Serving 402 cal, 17 gm fat, 2.1 gm sat fat, 56 gm carb, 6 gm fiber, 10 gm protein.

MY COMMENTS

Delicious. I highly recommend making more salad dressing though (without adding more garlic, it has just the right amount). 

BTW another good version of this salad is to substitute apricots for cranberries and the dressing for balsamic vinegar.