A nutritious quinoa salad loaded with anti-inflammatory cherries and vitamin-A packed sweet potatoes. Garnished with creamy goat cheese crumbles and lightly candied walnuts. Enjoy!
Prep time: 15 min | Cook time: 20 min | Total time: 35 min
Serves: 4
Ingredients
[For the Dressing]
1½ teaspoons olive oil
1 small lemon, juiced
1/8 teaspoon cumin
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon honey
2 tablespoons finely diced fresh basil leaves
[For the Salad]
½ cup uncooked quinoa
2 medium sweet potatoes, cut into 1 inch cubes
½ tablespoon olive oil
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon oregano
1/8 teaspoon cumin
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup pitted and diced sweet dark red cherries
¼ cup goat cheese crumbles
[For the Candied Walnuts]
¼ cup walnut halves & pieces
1 tablespoon coconut sugar (brown sugar also works)
1½ teaspoons coconut oil
Tip: You can substitute pecans for the walnuts
DirectionsPreheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with foil and set aside. While oven is preheating you can start cooking the quinoa. Add 1 cup of water and ½ cup quinoa to a medium saucepan; place over high heat and bring to a boil. Once water and quinoa are boiling, reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, remove from heat and fluff quinoa with a fork. Pour into a large bowl. While quinoa is cooking you can roast the sweet potatoes: In a medium bowl, toss sweet potatoes, olive oil, garlic, oregano, cumin, cayenne pepper and salt together. Pour onto prepared foil-lined sheet and place in preheated oven for 15 minutes or until sweet potatoes are roasted and almost fork tender. Once done, you can allow them to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to the bowl with the quinoa. While sweet potatoes and quinoa are cooking, you can start preparing the candied nuts: Heat a small saucepan over medium-high heat and add walnuts, coconut sugar and coconut oil to a small saucepan; stir constantly until the sugar begins to melt, caramelize and turn golden. This should take 3-5 minutes. Transfer nuts to a piece of parchment paper and allow to cool completely. Prepare dressing by whisking olive oil, lemon juice, cumin, garlic, honey and basil together in a small bowl. Add dressing to the quinoa and sweet potato mixture; stir well to combine. Fold in cherries, goat cheese and walnuts. Garnish with extra goat cheese and basil, if desired.Nutritional Information
