As I review this recipe it’s early October in Kentucky. The weather here is about the same as when I wrote the post in June 2015, except in reverse. According to the calendar it’s autumn, but some of the days still feel like summer. With daily temperatures creeping to 70 or 80 and the evenings getting down to the 40s, this salad seems like the perfect dinner.
Read on to learn more about this salad.
It’s the beginning of June, which means technically it’s still spring, but mentally we all view it as summer. If you live in New Hampshire, as I do, Mother Nature likes to provide reminders as to what season it truly is. Last week I had an evening alone and planned on making a nice, chilled salad for my dinner. However, the temperature hovered in the upper 40s all day long as a steady rain fell. This was not chilled salad weather.
cold weather = warm meal
That’s an equation in my meal planning book. I thought about how I could transform the salad from chilled to warm, which wasn’t difficult for the main ingredient. The tricky part would be determining what dressing to use. As a cold salad, I had planned on using Greek yogurt as the base. Then I remembered that I had some leftover cranberry sauce from a previous dinner. Cranberry sauce would give this salad a Thanksgiving feel, which kind of matched the weather outside. Not freezing, but pretty darn chilly.
This is a light, vegetarian salad. If you’re looking to make it heartier, you could add some toasted walnuts. For your carnivorous diners, some cooked chicken would be a good option. If you want to pair it with a glass of wine, I would suggest a Pinot Noir. Like the salad, it’s good at blending seasons. With some light tannins and body it won’t overpower the dish. But it also will be more warming on a chilly night than a glass of white.
For a lighter entrée salad with a nice array of flavors, this is one you have to try.
- 1/4 cup quinoa
- 1/2 cup water
- olive oil
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped sweet onion
- 1/3 cup diced carrots
- 2 tablespoons cranberry sauce
- salt & pepper
- Combine quinoa and water in a small saucepot and bring to a boil.
- When boiling, reduce to a simmer and cover.
- Cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally and adding more water if needed.
- While quinoa simmers, heat small frying pan over medium heat.
- Coat bottom of pan with olive oil.
- When pan is heated, add onions and cook until translucent, approximately 10 minutes.
- Fill a second small saucepan with water and bring to a boil.
- Add diced carrots and cook for 3-5 minutes or until tender.
- Transfer cooked quinoa to a serving bowl.
- Drain the carrots, discarding the water, and add carrots to quinoa.
- Top with cooked onions and cranberry sauce. Stir well.
- Season with salt and pepper as desired.
