Quinoa Apple-Raisin-Almond Salad

I went out on a limb today and made a quinoa salad that is sweet instead of savory. Olivia and I are under the weather so we stayed home today. As a result, I needed to find a recipe that I could make from existing ingredients in my kitchen. I had quinoa and apples so I decided to google these two ingredients to see if I could find a recipe. This Quinoa-Apple-Raisin-Almond Salad is what I ended up finding and it is surprisingly delicious. On top of being tasty, the recipe was fairly easy to prepare. Just a quick tip; when making quinoa, I always add 2 cups of water per 1 cup of quinoa, bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes. I then spread it out across a cookie sheet to cool quickly. This works well for me regardless of the quinoa recipe in question.

The main part of this recipe calls for quinoa, diced apples, raisins and toasted almonds (I always have to be very careful not to burn the almonds while toasting them in a pan). The dressing is made from lemon juice, olive oil and honey. Salt and pepper is then added to taste. Brad ate a bowl when he arrived home from work tonight and he pronounced it a success. Olivia had already eaten so I will see if she provides her seal of approval tomorrow. All in all, a successful recipe. If I decide to make this again, I think I would serve it as a side dish with pork loin or boneless pork chops. Add a nice glass of Riesling or Viognier and it would be a done deal.

Ingredients
Quinoa - 1 cup
Water - 2 cups (to cook quinoa)
Diced Tart Apple - 1 cup
Toasted Almonds - 1/2 cup
Golden Raisins - 1/3 cup
Dressing
Honey - 2 tbsp
Lemon Juice - 1/4 cup
Olive oil - 3 tbsp
Salt and papper - as per taste

Preparation

• Take a heavy bottomed pan, heat water to cook quinoa and let it come to boil.
• Add quinoa, mix well, cover and let it simmer for 15-20 minutes.
• Let it cool down completely.
• Meanwhile dice apples and toast almonds.
• Add raisins, apples, almonds to cooked and cooled quinoa.
• Refrigerate it till right before serving.
• Mix all the ingredients of dressing in a bowl.
• Toss salad with dressing right before serving.