Enjoy delicious, healthy Apple Broccoli Quinoa Salad with broccoli, apple, feta cheese, walnuts and quinoa in a honey Dijon salad dressing!
Do you enjoy eating quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wah)? I have used it in quite a few recipes here on my blog. If you aren’t familiar with this “superfood”, let me take a second to give you a very brief overview.
Quinoa has been around for thousands of years, and it originated in the Andes mountains of Chile, Bolivia and Peru with the Inca civilization who considered it a sacred food. It is the SEED of a grain crop grown specifically for those very seeds! Nutritious quinoa has grown increasingly popular in the United States over the past couple decades!
Quinoa is naturally gluten-free, high in fiber and is a very good source of protein, vitamins and minerals. It is incredibly simple to prepare and provides a good protein foundation for this yummy, nutritious apple broccoli quinoa salad. I hope you enjoy it- here’s how to make it.
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Prepare The Quinoa
Use a fine mesh strainer to rinse and then drain ½ cup of uncooked quinoa very well. This helps to remove any impurities that may be present.
Bring ¾ cup of water to a full boil (on HIGH) in a medium-sized saucepan. Once the water is at a full boil, add the drained quinoa. Reduce the heat to LOW, and put a lid on the pan, leaving the LID slightly offset to let a bit of steam escape.
Simmer the quinoa for 12-13 minutes on LOW heat OR until all the water has been absorbed. One the quinoa is finished cooking, remove the lid and use a fork to “fluff” up the quinoa in the saucepan. Let the quinoa cool by transferring it out of the hot pan into a bowl, stirring it occasionally as it cools.
Lightly “Toast” The Walnuts
By lightly “toasting” the chopped walnuts, you can add a bit more flavor AND crunchiness to the salad. It is easy to do this by heating a skillet on MEDIUM heat until fairly hot. That’s right! You do NOT put them in a toaster (ha ha!)
Add chopped walnuts and let them “toast”, stirring them often until they are slightly browned and have become aromatic. This only takes a few minutes! Once they’re done, immediately transfer the walnuts from the hot skillet onto a plate or paper towels to completely cool.
Make The Salad Dressing
Now it’s time to make the flavorful salad dressing for the salad. It’s a CINCH! Place the ingredients (olive oil, apple cider vinegar, Dijon, honey, sea salt and black pepper) in a small bowl.
Use a whisk to mix these ingredients until they have emulsified and are fully blended. The result should be a smooth, creamy salad dressing with no separation of oil and vinegar.
TIP: If you do not have access to a whisk, you can put the salad dressing ingredients into a small jar with a secure lid. Shake the jar really well until they’re FULLY combined.
Assemble The Salad
When you are ready to assemble the salad, place 3 cups of freshly chopped broccoli (small pieces) into a medium-sized salad bowl. Add one cored, chopped UNPEELED red honey crisp apple (or substitute), then squeeze the juice of a small lemon over the top.
Stir these three ingredients very well until combined. The lemon juice helps the apple pieces to not turn brown as they are exposed to the air!
Add crumbled feta cheese and the cooled, cooked quinoa and toss the apple broccoli quinoa salad until combined.
Give the salad dressing a good stir so it is again combined, then pour it over the salad, and toss again until fully mixed. Take a small taste and add additional salt and pepper, if desired.
Serve The Apple Broccoli Quinoa Salad
Now the salad is ready to be served and enjoyed! If desired, you can refrigerate the salad for a while if you prefer it well-chilled, but it is delicious either way!
The leftovers will keep well for 3-4 days if stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container. The apples (if covered well with lemon juice when making the salad) should also stay crisp and un-browned!
This healthy salad is delicious, and I enjoy it as a protein-packed quick lunch OR as a side dish served with a main dish at dinner. I hope you have the chance to make it for yourself and/or those you love.
Thanks for stopping by, and I invite you to come back soon for more family-friendly recipes. Take care, may God bless you, and have a wonderful day!
Looking For More QUINOA Recipes?
You can find ALL of my recipes in the Recipe Index, which is located at the top of the page. I have a nice variety of recipes featuring quinoa, including:
- Mediterranean Quinoa Salad
- Southwest Quinoa Salad
- Quinoa Enchilada Casserole (meatless)
- Apricot Almond Breakfast Quinoa
- Cranberry Orange Quinoa Salad with Pecans
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Original recipe source (and with thanks to Jenn Laughlin) at https://peasandcrayons.com/broccoli-apple-quinoa-salad/
↓↓ PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW ↓↓
Enjoy delicious, healthy Apple Broccoli Quinoa Salad with broccoli, apple, feta cheese, walnuts and quinoa in a honey Dijon salad dressing!
- ½ cup quinoa (uncooked) rinsed/ drained well
- ¾ cup water
- ⅓ cup walnuts chopped/ pan-toasted
- 3 cups chopped fresh broccoli cut in small pieces
- 1 medium honey crisp apple (do not peel) cored, chopped in small pieces
- 1 small lemon
- ⅓ cup feta cheese crumbles
- 2½ Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- ¾ Tablespoon honey
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
Use a fine mesh strainer to rinse and fully drain quinoa to remove any impurities.
COOK QUINOA- Bring water to a full boil (on HIGH) in a medium saucepan. Once water is boiling, add quinoa. Reduce heat to LOW; put a lid on pan, leaving LID slightly offset to let some steam escape. Simmer quinoa 12-13 minutes on LOW OR until water has been absorbed. Remove lid- use a fork to "fluff" quinoa in pan. Remove quinoa from hot pan into a bowl, stirring occasionally as it cools.
TOAST WALNUTS- Heat a skillet on MEDIUM. Add chopped walnuts; cook, stirring often until they're slightly browned and aromatic (3-4 minutes). Immediately transfer walnuts out of hot skillet onto a plate or paper towels to cool.
MAKE SALAD DRESSING- Place olive oil, apple cider vinegar, Dijon, honey, sea salt and black pepper in a small bowl. Use a whisk to mix until they have emulsified and are fully blended into a smooth, creamy salad dressing with no separation of oil and vinegar. TIP: If you don't have a whisk, put ingredients in a small jar with a secure lid. Shake jar really well until FULLY combined.
MAKE SALAD- Place chopped broccoli in a medium salad bowl. Add cored, chopped UNPEELED apple, then squeeze juice of small lemon on top. Mix until well-combined (lemon juice helps apple pieces not turn brown when exposed to air). Add feta and cooled quinoa. Toss to combine.
Give salad dressing a good stir, then pour over salad. Toss to combine. Take a bite of salad; add additional salt and pepper, if desired.
Serve salad immediately OR cover and refrigerate until ready to serve! Leftovers should keep well for 3-4 days if stored in airtight container in refrigerator (apple pieces should remain crisp and un-browned, as well). Enjoy!
NOTE: Can substitute other red, sweet crisp apples such as McIntosh, Fuji, Gala, etc. instead of honey crisp apples, if desired.
Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!