Pear Quinoa Salad

(from kylerhea’s recipe box)

For the almonds: To toast almonds, brown them for a couple of minutes in a skillet over medium high heat. To roast them, bake them in the oven for 8-10 minutes at 350 degrees.

Source: The Girl who Ate Everything

Categories: May2013, Pear, bell pepper, quinoa, spinach

Ingredients

  • 1 cup of uncooked quinoa
  • 2 Bartlett pears, diced and peeled
  • 2 green onions, sliced
  • 4 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
  • 1-2 cups of fresh spinach, coarsely chopped
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced
  • 1/4 cup slivered or sliced almonds, toasted or roasted (see note)
  • Dressing:
  • 1/3 cup oil (whatever kind you prefer)
  • 1/3 cup rice vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 teaspoons sesame oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon minced garlic
  • 2 Tablespoons sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Directions

  1. Prepare the quinoa according to the package directions. 1 cup dry quinoa should yield over 4 cups of cooked quinoa. Cool quinoa.

  2. In a large bowl add the cooled quinoa, pears, green onions, bacon, spinach, bell pepper and almonds.

  3. For the dressing: Combine all of the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and pour over quinoa mixture. Toss gently. You might not want to use all of the dressing depending on how wet you want your salad so add a little at a time. You could probably add the dressing ingredients directly to the quinoa but to make sure you get it incorporated it’s a good idea to mix it separately. Add salt and pepper to taste.

  4. Chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour before serving so that the flavors can meld.

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