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    Home » Recipes » Quinoa Salad with Dried Fruits and Fresh Orange Dressing

    Quinoa Salad with Dried Fruits and Fresh Orange Dressing

    Published: Feb 24, 2014 · Modified: Feb 14, 2022 by Linda Baker · This post may contain affiliate links

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    "Quinoa Salad with Dried Fruits is a great healthy side dish that the whole family will love. A combination of quinoa, dried cranberries, cherries, and apricot, along with some finely sliced baby celery and minced parsley - all tossed together with a tasty simple orange juice dressing - it's healthy, refreshing, and darn tasty too."

    Quinoa Salad with Dried Fruits on a place mate with nuts and dried fruit.
    Healthy, fresh, simple, delicious, Quinoa Salad with Dried Fruits

    The story behind Quinoa Salad with Dried Fruits

    What is Quinoa?

    Quinoa is, as you probably already know, an ancient grain that is gluten-free. High in protein, it's a member of the spinach and tumbleweed family. The outside coating of quinoa is slightly bitter so it's best if you wash it prior to cooking. My favorite method to wash quinoa is to put it into a fine sieve then dip that into a large bowl of water; agitate it around, lift the sieve out of the water, drain the water (throw it into your plants or some other useful place that is needing some water, very important to us in drought land), refresh the water and do it again, 2 more times.

    Quinoa Salad with Dried Fruits
    Be sure to wash your quinoa.

     Cooking Quinoa - the Pasta Way

    If you've not cooked Quinoa yet, it's really very simple. As simple as cooking rice. For this recipe I cooked it like I do my pasta by bringing a pot of lightly salted water to a boil, adding my rinsed quinoa, and boiling it for 15  to 20 minutes or until the quinoa was tender. The quinoa was drained into a sieve and then I ran some cold water over it to cool it down. I drained it well and then proceeded with my recipe.

    Adding Dried Fruits, Nuts and Freshness

    While the quinoa was cooking, I prepped my dried fruits and the celery. The celery added a little crunch that I thought was a necessary element. And brightness too. I used the tender inside stalks and sliced them thinly. I didn't want large pieces of anything in the salad as the quinoa is so small and I like to keep my food all about the same size. It's more pleasant to eat that way, and it looks prettier too. And of course, parsley always adds a fresh element.

    For the dried fruits, I used dried cranberries, Bing cherries, and apricot. The cranberries I left whole, the cherries I cut into halves and the apricot I cut into a dice. Because dried fruit is so sticky, I find the easiest way to cut them is to use a pair of kitchen scissors, just make sure you wash them first (the scissors, not the fruit).

    The Finishing Touch - Dressing

    Turning to the dressing, I wanted something light and fresh - there sitting on the counter were some tangelos; so I used them. You could use an orange, a tangerine, tangelo, any type of orangy citrus. The orange flavor just is such a nice compliment to the fruits. Just squeeze about ⅓ cup of orange juice into the bowl over the salad ingredients, mix it about, then add a little bit of extra virgin olive oil, a pinch of salt, and mix it together. As always, taste and adjust.

    This salad can be served immediately or put into the refrigerator for a while to allow the flavors to fully blend. Take it out and bring it to room temperature before you serve it.

    A bowl of Quinoa Salad.
    Simple, and delicious.

    Quinoa Salad with Dried Fruits goes perfectly with many main dishes such as Grilled Quail with Pomegranate Orange Glaze and Grilled Salmon with Ginger Orange Mustard Glaze. 

    Quinoa Salad with Dried Fruits on a place mate with nuts and dried fruit.

    Quinoa Salad with Dried Fruits

    LindySez
    “This recipe for Quinoa Salad with Dried Fruits is a great healthy side dish that the whole family will love.  A combination of quinoa, dried cranberries, cherries, and apricot, along with some finely sliced baby celery and minced parsley – all tossed together with a tasty simple orange juice dressing – it’s healthy, refreshing and darn tasty too.”
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 20 mins
    Additional Time 1 hr
    Total Time 1 hr 20 mins
    Course Rice & Grains, Side Dish, Vegetarian
    Cuisine American
    Servings 4 - 6 servings
    Calories 258 kcal

    Equipment

    • Fine Colander
    • Large Mixing Bowl
    • Kitchen Shears

    Ingredients
      

    • For the Salad
    • 2 cups cooked cooled quinoa
    • ¼ cup dried cranberries
    • ⅓ cup dried sweet cherries cut into halves
    • ½ cup dried apricot halves cut into pieces the same size as the cranberries and cherries
    • ⅓ cup thinly sliced tender celery heart
    • ¼ cup toasted almond slices or you could use toasted walnut pieces or pecan pieces
    • ¼ cup minced fresh parsley
    • Pinch of salt
    • For the Dressing
    • ⅓ to ½ cup fresh orange tangerine or tangelo juice
    • 1 - 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

    Instructions
     

    • Mix your salad ingredients together in a bowl. Pour the orange juice over, and toss, then add 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil; toss. Taste and add a bit more oil if you think it needs it. Let set if possible for 15 minutes, or refrigerate for a longer period of time. Bring to room temperature before serving.
    • LindySez: When I'm giving measurements (which of course are NOT written in stone, add more of what you like or less of what you don't) I'm giving you the measurement for the whole fruit, not after it's been cut.  So a large handful of dried apricots is about ½ cup…see?

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1gSodium: 120mgFiber: 5gCalories: 258kcalPolyunsaturated Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 1gFat: 9gProtein: 6gCarbohydrates: 40g
    Keyword dried fruit in quinoa, light salad dressing for quinoa salad, quinoa salad
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Judy Miranda

      February 25, 2014 at 12:04 pm

      Do you ever calculate the nutrition information? This recipe sounds yummy & I may just try it..

      Reply
      • LindySez

        February 25, 2014 at 12:35 pm

        Hi Judy, Thanks for catching that, I forgot to put that in. It's there now. And it is yummy 🙂 Cheers ~ Lindy

        And if you like wine, perfect with a Pinot or a Merlot ...

        Reply
    2. elaine schoch

      February 26, 2014 at 9:21 am

      I love quinoa and have been on a kick lately trying to find new ways of making it. Will add this one to the list.

      Reply
      • LindySez

        February 28, 2014 at 4:34 pm

        It's so very easy to make and enjoy. I hope you do. Cheers ~ Lindy

        Reply
    3. Jessica

      February 26, 2014 at 1:40 pm

      This looks and sounds delicious, Linda! I love that you've combined nuts, parsley, and dried fruits to make this a little sweet.

      Reply
      • LindySez

        February 28, 2014 at 4:33 pm

        A little sweet, a little crunch...a little goodness. Cheers ~ Lindy

        Reply
    4. Cher

      February 27, 2014 at 3:48 pm

      Thanks to you, Linda, we love Quinoa! I am DYING to try this recipe because I think it will be fabulous!!

      Reply
    5. Marci P.

      December 14, 2022 at 6:51 am

      5 stars
      Very, very good recipe. You can use any dried fruit you like, or have on hand, as well as the type of nut. I added a little honey to mine. Thanks for sharing!

      Reply
      • LindySez

        December 14, 2022 at 9:17 am

        Thank you for your comment. YES, I agree, this recipe is easily adaptable to taste. It's what I love about cooking, finding inspiration and making it my own. Cheers ~ Lindy

        Reply

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    Hi, I'm Lindy.

    I am a home-trained chef who loves to cook and eat delicious food. As I like to say, "Life is too short to eat mediocre food". And I find too much food out there is mediocre. I don't think good food needs to be fussy, or difficult to prepare. Most of my recipes are fresh, quick, easy, and tasty while keeping both calories and fats in check. 

    More about me →

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