Quinoa Arugula Salad

Our delicious Quinoa Arugula Salad is chock full of chunks of juicy pears, dried cranberries, and crunchy pistachios, tossed with a fresh orange vinaigrette.

Healthy and Delicious Quinoa Arugula Salad

Over the holidays, we hosted some friends at our house for a few days and served this Quinoa Arugula Salad alongside some burgers for dinner. Truth be known, it was a bit of a ‘clear out the refrigerator’ kind of salad, but everyone loved it, so we decided to share the recipe here too!

We loosely adapted this wheatberry salad, swapping in quinoa instead, so this salad would be gluten free for our friend’s diet. We had some crunchy pistachios and tart dried cranberries on hand, as well as some ripe, sweet pears that these same friends had so thoughtfully sent us for a Christmas gift.

We also shredded up some sharp cheddar cheese and thinly sliced red onion – then tossed everything together in a simple vinaigrette made with fresh orange juice and zest, a little Dijon mustard, and a variety of seasonings.

The combination of flavors and textures go so well together – this is a salad we will have on repeat all winter and beyond!

• This salad is healthy and delicious and very easy to prepare.
• It’s a versatile salad recipe that can easily be adapted to suit the ingredients you have on hand.
• It makes a great side dish, but it’s also filling enough that you could enjoy a big bowlful as a light, meatless meal.

• Quinoa – Quinoa comes in a few colors and have slight flavor variations, but they all pretty much all cook up the same. We used white quinoa in our salad, but any variety will work. (Be sure to rinse the quinoa well before cooking!)
• Arugula – This sturdy Mediterranean green adds a nice peppery flavor to this salad. It also holds up well to dressings and vinaigrette, so it won’t wilt as it’s mixed together with the other ingredients.
• Pears –Chose ripe pears for their sweet flavor and soft texture. We used D ’Anjou pears but other ripe varieties will work just as well. (Or, swap in some chunks of sweet, fresh apple as an alternative.) Once you’ve peel and cut the fruit into chunks, place them in a bowl of orange juice so they don’t oxidize and turn brown while you prepare the rest of the salad.
• Dried Cranberries 
• Pistachios –For convenience, buy already-shelled, roasted, and salted pistachios. Or buy roasted pistachios in the shell if you prefer. You’ll want to shell them and remove the skins as much as possible.
• Red Onion –We soaked thinly-sliced red onion in fresh orange juice to remove some of the sharpness of the onion.
• Cheddar Cheese – We used goat’s milk cheddar cheese in our salad (because our friend must avoid cow’s milk dairy). It has a nice, sharp tang that compliments the other ingredients in this salad. You can, however, use any sharp white cheddar cheese (cow’s milk, etc.) or you can swap in a softer cheese such as goat cheese or brie, Fontina, or Havarti.
• Vinaigrette – Whisk up a dressing made with extra virgin olive oil, orange zest, freshly-squeezed orange juice, celery salt, garlic powder, black pepper, Dijon mustard, and granulated sugar.  

1. Rinse the quinoa in a strainer under cold running water for a few minutes before cooking. Then cook with water in a covered saucepan according to package instructions. Spread out on a platter and cool.
2. Slice the red onions and soak in orange juice.
3. Shell the pistachios, remove the skins as much as possible, then coarsely chop the nuts.
4. Peel and core the pears, then cut into half inch pieces. Place in a bowl and coat with orange juice.
5. Make vinaigrette by combining all ingredients, slowly whisking in the olive oil at the end.
6. Add the orange juice that the pears soaked in, to the vinaigrette, then whisk the dressing again. (Discard the juice that the onions were soaking in – you don’t want to add that.)
7. In a large bowl, mix cooked and cooled quinoa with soaked onions, dried cranberries, chopped pistachios, cut up pears, shredded cheese, and arugula.
8. Toss with the vinaigrette and serve.

• Can I make Quinoa, Pear, and Arugula Salad ahead of time?  Yes, but we suggest measuring and prepping all of the ingredients ahead of time, then mix just until close to serving.
• How do I store leftovers?  Store covered in the refrigerator for up to three days.
• Can I freeze this salad?  You can cook and freeze cooked quinoa in plastic bags. We do not recommend that you try to freeze the assembled salad.  

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