Salad of the Week: Quinoa, Blackberry, Feta and Pistachio

Apologies for the less than stellar photo. I took a picture of this salad once, two weeks ago, and lost it immediately when the power decided to fail, mid-upload of the photos to my computer. I attempted to snap a second one, amid bad lighting and no styling, just before serving this for dinner last week.

While it may look plain and boring in the photo, it's downright tasty and often part of my attempt at eating lunch every day.

I like to make a big batch of quinoa and tuck it in the fridge for the week to come. If you're baking cookies or muffins, or whisking together a pancake batter, throw a handful of this nutty grain into your bowl. To date, I've yet to find a final product that was altered by doing this. The fibre and protein boost is worth it, and I promise you the kids will never know, unless you tell them, of course.

PS - Don't be fooled. The kids didn't love this.  It was passable when the blackberries, feta and pistachios were removed, in which case I suggest you save yourself some time and just offer them a side of plain quinoa with their dinner. 

Qunioa, Blackberry, Feta and Pistachio Salad

Serves 4

• 2 cups cooked quinoa
• 2 cups blackberries
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta
• 1/2 cup shelled pistachios
• 2 Tbsp. cider vinegar
• 1 Tbsp. maple syrup
• 2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 tsp. cinnamon

Combine the qunioa, blackberries, feta and pistachios in a large salad bowl.

Whisk together the cider vinegar, maple syrup, Dijon and cinnamon. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil, while continuously whisking the dressing. 

Drizzle it over the quinoa and toss to combine. 

Serve on a bed of baby spinach, if desired. 

 

Comments

[Julie]

Wow - LOVE the idea of a salad with quinoa, feta, blackberries and pistachios! what a brilliant combination!!

[Rosa]

It sounds great. We are big quinoa fans....well I am anyway. I will put it into anything. Love your honesty about the photo and about kids not being crazy about it. Such is life.

[Jan Scott]

Thanks, Rosa! Sometimes us bloggers can get caught up trying to make a photo look perfect instead of how it really is. But life isnt always like that, is it? :)

[Supply Chain Recruitment]

This look delicious! I'll try to do it, thanks for recipe that you provided!

[Stay-At-Home-Chef]

Sounds delicious! I love the addition of maple syrup for some sweetness to compliment the other 'goodies' in the salad. Thanks for sharing!

[Sarajane]

This sounds fabulous. Can you provide nutritional info for this? Calories, fat, sodijm etc?

[Jan Scott]

Hi Stay-At-Home-Chef!  Thanks so much...Im so glad you like the look of the salad.