Print

Arugula Salad with Apples, Almonds, Quinoa and Goat Cheese

This Arugula Salad combines crisp apples, toasted almonds, hearty quinoa, creamy goat cheese, tart dried cherries and tossed in a delicious citrus vinaigrette.

Prep: 20 minsCook: 20 minsTotal: 40 mins
Servings: 4 side servings 1x

Ingredients

For Quinoa:

  • 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
  • 1 cup water
  • dash of salt

For Vinaigrette:

  • 4 Tbsp. freshly squeezed orange juice
  • 1/2 tsp. orange zest.
  • 1/2 tsp. fresh thyme (or 1/4 tsp. dried)
  • 1/2 tsp. dijon mustard
  • 1 tsp. maple syrup
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • Sea salt and pepper to taste
  • 3 Tbsp. avocado or olive oil

For Salad:

  • 5 cups arugula
  • 1 small apple, diced
  • 1/2 cup diced celery
  • 1/4 cup diced red onion
  • 1/3 cup almonds, toasted
  • 1/4 cup dried cherries (may substitute dried cranberries or raisins)
  • 2 oz. soft goat cheese, crumbled (omit for dairy-free and vegan-friendly)
  • 2 green onions, chopped (white ends to mid-green part)

Instructions

For the Quinoa:

  1. Rinse quinoa. In a saucepan, bring quinoa and liquid to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed, 12-16 minutes. Dash with salt and fluff with a fork. Set aside to cool. While the quinoa is cooking, make the rest of the salad.

For the Citrus Vinaigrette:

  1. Combine all of the vinaigrette ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until combine. Set aside. Here is a slick salad dressing mixer works great for making vinaigrettes, dressings and marinades.

For the Salad:

  1. In small skillet, toast the almonds on low heat, tossing occasionally to prevent burning. Watch closely. Set aside to cool slightly.
  2. In a large salad bowl, combine the cooled quinoa and the salad ingredients except for the green onions. Note: make sure the quinoa and almonds are cooled to avoid melting of the goat cheese.
  3. Pour vinaigrette over salad and toss gently to coat. Top with chopped green onions.

Notes

All photos and content are copyright protected. Please do not use our photos without prior written permission. If you wish to republish this recipe, please rewrite the recipe in your own unique words and link back to the source recipe here on The Real Food Dietitians.

Dietary

© The Real Food Dietitians