Quinoa Salad with Almonds, Apples and Dried Cranberries

Now that the holiday season is in full swing, invites to holiday potlucks and parties might be a bit more frequent. I tend to get slightly stressed when I read the words "potluck" on the invitation and my brain automatically goes into recipe thinking mode. This obviously applies to hosting as welll but that's another kind of stress we won't get into today.

When I come across a dish that is easy, tasty, and visually appealing, I immediately bookmark it under "potluck contenders" and today's recipe is such that.

To somewhat prevent the possibility of *ahem* holiday weight gain which has the tendency to creep up on us around this time of year, I present to you a healthy dish that surely will be welcomed with open arms by your guests (and your stomach).

Not only is this salad gorgeous to look at, with the vibrant colors coming from the cranberries, green onions, and apples, but it makes me feel pretty darn good knowing that a dish that tastes as good as it looks is also nutritious. Win win situation over here.


Have a great weekend. Xo.


Ingredients (Adapted from Food52) Yields: 4 servings
1 cup quinoa, rinsed well
1 1/2 cup water, for quinoa
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 small onion, finely diced
2 stalks of celery, finely diced
1 cup chopped, toasted almonds
1 bunch (about 5 to 6) green onions, chopped (green parts only)
1/2 cup dried cranberries, chopped *see note
1 gala apple (really, any kind of apple will do)
1 large lemon, juiced
Generous drizzle of any kind of oil (I used olive oil)
Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Procedure
1. Rinse quinoa well. Boil the water with a pinch of salt, and add your rinsed quinoa. Turn your stove down to medium-low and let it cook for roughly 15 minutes, or until the water is absorbed. Fluff quinoa with a fork, and let it cool in the fridge.

2. Preheat a skillet with 1 tbsp of oil and soften your finely chopped onion and celery. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper to taste. Try not to brown them, 5 to 7 minutes on medium - low heat should do the trick. Set aside in a large salad bowl.

3. Add dried cranberries and green onions to the onion and celery mixture.

4. Core and dice the apple, put your apple chunks in the bowl with the other ingredients. Squeeze the entire lemon over the apple to season the salad and prevent the apple from turning brown.

5. Add your quinoa and almonds to the mixture, drizzle with the oil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Season with more lemon juice if you like.

6. Mix well and cool completely. Allow the flavors to meld for 20 minutes before serving.

*Craisins also work but they tend to turn the salad a pinkish hue after a few hours.

Weekend Snapshots

This weekend I...

1. Received my Warby Parker glasses I ordered last week. If you haven't heard of them, they're an eye ware company that supplies very chic and cool frames. I went to their showroom the last time I was in NYC and placed the order online after I got my much needed eye exam. All frames are $95  (with or with out prescription and free shipping!). They're touring around the states right now in their pop up school bus shop and currently they're in Washington, DC. Check their twitter to see where exactly in DC they will be daily. I passed by them in Georgetown yesterday;)

2. Tried butterbeer for the first time. If you're a Harry Potter fan, you'll recognize that it's a drink mentioned in the novels which the wizards are fans of. I've never had it before and was curious since I don't normally see this on the menu. It's basically a mix of cream soda, brown sugar, butter, and rum. It tastes very similar to root beer and is really, really good. I'm tempted to recreate this in my kitchen;)

3.  I went to a newly discovered all you can eat hot pot place in Virginia. My good friend Mel wanted to check it out and I happily obliged since I haven't had hot pot in so long and the cold blast of air we've been having lately was the perfection conditions to eat this warm, satisfying meal. It was also my first day of finally being able to eat solid foods after my toothache/root canal debacle!! If you're unfamiliar with what hot pot/shabu shabu is, it's basically the Chinese/Japenese version of fondue, minus the cheese. It consists of a pot of broth where ingredients such as raw leafy vegetables (bok choy, watercress, cabbage) seafood (mussels, clams, scallops, shrimps), and thinly sliced meat are thrown in to the simmering pot to cook. The ingredients cook quickly and once it's cooked you dip it into a sauce that might be a concoction of hot chili, sesame oil, Xo sauce, Hoisin sauce, and garlic. Major nom. I will definitely be coming back to this place (Hot Spot).

4. Received an email from my Chanel SA (sales associate) stating that Chanel was participating in a gift card event at Neiman Marcus. I was surprised since Chanel never participates and is always excluded in promotions so I went to check it out. I asked her if she had any pearl necklaces in stock because that's been on my list of timeless pieces to own and she brought out several. I've been thinking about purchasing a classic Chanel pearl necklace for years but have been waiting patiently for when the time is right and this gift card event was it. Basically the promotion was that for every $500 you spend, you receive a $100 gift card. Because classic pieces never go on sale, this is the perfect opportunity to take advantages of some sort of deal because you're at least getting some sort of saving. I bought the double stranded pearl necklace where the Chanel sign is encrusted with crystals. It's an absolute gem.

5.Was invited to a pot luck/game night my friend was hosting at her and her husband's place. I made my black bean and tomato quinoa dish for the party (such a hit!) and quite honestly the picture doesn't even do justice to the food spread we had. Not pictured was stir-fry green beans, Vietnamese style wings, deep fried plantains, homemade pumpkin pie, and gingerbread cookies. The host made this amazing chana masala (Indian chick peas) which I seriously had 3 plates of. She told me she'd pass along the recipe, so get ready for a recipe that will help you understand why I would eat 3 platefuls of just that alone.We ended the night with wine/beer and the board game, Cranium. Good times.

How was your weekend?