Quinoa Salad with Apples, Walnuts, Dried Cranberries, and Gouda

Serves 6 as a main course; 10 as a side dish

by Anna Thomas
from Fine Cooking
Issue 109
Last Edit Date: 12/23/2010 12:35:01 PM

With its dried fruit, walnuts, and apples, this sweet-and-savory dish is reminiscent of a Waldorf salad. It’s a great meat-free lunch or side dish for dinner.

more about:

1-1/2 cups quinoa, preferably red
Sea salt
5 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil; more as needed
1 large red onion, quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
2 Tbs. balsamic vinegar
4 oz. arugula, trimmed and thinly sliced (about 3 cups)
4 oz. aged Gouda, finely diced (about 1 cup)
3 medium celery stalks, thinly sliced
1 large, crisp apple, such as Fuji or Pink Lady, cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
1 cup finely diced fennel
3/4 cup dried cranberries
3 Tbs. sherry vinegar
Freshly ground black pepper

In a bowl, rinse the quinoa with water, rubbing it between your fingers for about 10 seconds. Drain and transfer it to a 3-quart pot. Add 2-1/2 cups water and 1/2 tsp. sea salt and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer, covered, until the quinoa is tender but still delicately crunchy, about 15 minutes.

Drain the quinoa and return it to the pot. Cover and let the quinoa rest for 5 minutes; then fluff it with a fork. Let cool to room temperature.

While the quinoa cooks, heat 2 Tbs. of the olive oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and a pinch of salt; cook, stirring frequently, until tender and brown around the edges, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the balsamic vinegar and toss with the onions until the vinegar cooks away, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature.

In a large bowl, mix the quinoa, onions, arugula, cheese, celery, apple, walnuts, fennel, and cranberries.

In a small bowl, whisk the remaining 3 Tbs. olive oil with the sherry vinegar, 1/2 tsp. sea salt, and a few grinds of pepper. Add the dressing to the salad and gently mix it in. Let rest a moment; then season to taste with salt and pepper. Add more olive oil if the salad seems dry.

nutrition information (per serving):
Calories (kcal): 330; Fat (g): 19; Fat Calories (kcal): 170; Saturated Fat (g): 4; Protein (g): 9; Monounsaturated Fat (g): 7; Carbohydrates (g): 34; Polyunsaturated Fat (g): 7; Sodium (mg): 350; Cholesterol (mg): 15; Fiber (g): 4;

Photo: Scott Phillips

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by Jason123, 6/4/2013I've made this several times and it's always a hit. I boost the flavour by bumping up the fruit and nuts and adding a bit of orange zest, or I sometimes use goat cheese instead of gouda. Delish!

by SMHalps, 1/26/2013Wow! I had never cooked, or even tried Quinoa before, and I was knocked out by this recipe! I served it as a side dish for a chicken dinner with two friends and they begged for the recipe. It does make a lot, I will have leftovers for days. There are probably endless flavor variations that you can make. This recipe is a keeper!

by user-1028660, 1/20/2013By far... hands down... my FAVORITE quinoa recipe of all time! I didn't read the recipe completely the first time and used fennel seeds instead of fennel, and I almost prefer it that way. It's a great meal on its own or combined with anything else Fine Cooking has on its recipe list. I swapped dried cherries for the cranberries and make it as often as I can when guests are over for a meal.

by YKDonna, 7/15/2012This is my second time making this recipe. This time I sliced everything about the same size and quite small. I had to use raisins instead of cranberries but it was a good substitution. I used an entire 5oz bag of Organic Herb Blend (that included arugula) and chopped it smaller too. For those who had never had quinoa before, they were amazed. I watched people pointing to my salad and telling their friends "you have to try this, it's wonderful!" There was none left. Thank you Fine Cooking - another great recipe.

by jkuzmitz, 7/4/2012I always follow a recipe just as written the first time I make it but, it is 100 degrees here today and i did not want to get in my car and go to the store. I had ,in season nectarines not apples and chipotle cheddar not gouda. Otherwise i followed it as written. It was excellent! Everyone loved it . The nectarines added a tang with the sweet and the chipotle cheddar added a bit of a bite. I will try it with apples in the fall but this is a great hot weather meal

by usi, 1/13/2012This salad ist tasty as printed; a few modifications will greatly improve it. First, rather than cooking the quinoa in water, use a strong vegetable stock to intensify the flavour of the salad. Be sure to use a good quality sherry vinegar, and use it generously. Add chopped cilantro at the end. These steps will lift the salad out of the ordinary. The addition of roast chicken, beef, or even shrimp and substitution of toasted pecans for the wlanuts, as well as different hard cheeses, will add variations of flavour. The quantity in the recipe will easily feed 10.

by Melindad, 1/10/2012I did not love this salad. It was good. I think it needed more dressing and I should have used a large red onion (I only had a medium)as it needed more flavor.

by Veillantif, 11/2/2011I make this for my work lunch and it's wonderful. I put some baby kale or arugula in a tupperware and pile the salad on top: perfect! It keeps for quite some time.

by Danamay07, 10/4/2011Love this! I've made it twice and it's a great lunch/picnic meal...I love that there are leftovers, so I do omit the arugula, and add some roasted chicken. Perfection!

by EllaJean, 7/16/2011Made this recipe for friends and we all enjoyed it. Had the leftovers for lunch today and even the arugula held up fine. Will definitely be making this again.

by sfebert, 4/26/2011Excellent recipe, all the ingredients went really well together. I agree with other reviews, it makes a lot. Next time I will definitely half the recipe. Was a little time consuming chopping everything but it can all be done ahead of time if serving for a group. I used all ingredients but I don't think you would miss much skipping the celery, there is enough crunch from the walnuts and apples. I also felt it was a little bit heavy on the onions. Worth making!

by marasei, 4/11/2011Love this recipe. The apple and the fennel go really well together and the sherry vinegrette just tops it all off.

by Bigdaddy316, 3/27/2011This recipe tastes great. I made it for friends who were familiar with quinoa but had not had anything like this, they left as big fans. A similar reaction from my wife who is so-so on ancient grains but says I can make this recipe anytime. As is, the recipe makes a lot but I found this was a great snack or even a light lunch so I won't reduce even when making for a small group. It also keeps very well, I was worried about the apples going brown or arugula going limp but there is enough acid in the dressing that they stayed fresh all week. I was able to get red quinoa which made for a great looking dish but regular would do just fine.

by LWAsays, 3/23/2011Halved this recipe, made it without the fennel (didn't have it on hand), and ate it for days. Its delicious!

by twood, 1/29/2011This was a really nice salad! and healthy too! Next time will definitely 1/2 the recipe. I will also only mix up what I plan on eating... the salad was a little soggy the next day. Either way... really good.

by MetRx, 1/30/2011Fabulous recipe. I made it exactly as called for and everyone had seconds. It does make a large amount, so the next time I will probably cut it in half. Other than that, nothing needs to be changed.

by ali2379, 1/9/2011

by Cindy3, 1/6/2011I just made this recipe. It is very delicious. I did find it time consuming to make. There is lots of prep work involved. I used my mandolin to slice the onion, fennel and celery, which made them nice and evenly thin. I followed the other user's advice and very lightly sauteed the fennel and celery after adding the balsamic vinegar to the onions. This is healthy and delicious lunch or side dish.

by ceenajo, 1/5/2011I eliminated the cheese, and substitued baby spinach for the arugula. I also gently sauteed the celery and fennel with the onion. Added extra balsamic vinegar, and served it warm. It was delicious. Was also great chilled the next day.

by dagamba, 1/3/2011