Picnic, birthday and graduation parties are in full swing and the question that always follows is ‘what do I bring’?
Depending on the occasion, I have been there and often times wish I had available food options for me to safely eat. A new fan favorite is this amazing salad that can be served warm or cold and it’s sure to please those looking for a bit of a healthier side option.
Quinoa is so versatile, if you haven’t tried making it because it sounds too complicated it certainly is not! You can get regular or flavored quinoa and just follow the directions on the container.
Again, depending on how you want to serve your side dish depends on the social function.
Today, I am sharing my version that I actually served warm but when I ate the leftover cold quinoa and brussels sprout salad with spinach, it was better than even I thought it was going to be. Some people are not leftover people, I am a leftover person, especially, food that only gets better the next day. Like Italian dishes, and like this dish the celery, carrots, and onion were all in full flavor and the cold salad mixed with spinach leaves and dressing was quite GOOD!
My intention was to talk about the warm salad, but actually I am going to say since eating it both warm and cold both of these versions were delicious so you can decide whichever one you want eat.
I don’t recommend leaving this salad out for too long, but considering there is no dairy you don’t have to worry too much about dangerous time temperatures when bringing this dish to a picnic or party.
For my salad, I went with simple baby spinach leaves, dried cranberries, and a garlic infused dressing. Full disclosure I was trying to use up and make some food with items I already had in my refrigerator and all I had left was baby spinach. Any leafy greens will be excellent for that crispy crunch!
Enjoy!
XOXO
Megan
Ingredients:
- 1 bag or container of spinach
- 1 bag of Brussels Sprouts
- 3 regular carrots
- 3 celery stalks
- 1 medium to small onion diced
- 1 packet of quinoa (made 2-3 cups of quinoa)
- Himalayan Sea salt to taste
- Ground black pepper to taste
- Olive oil to saute veggies
- ½ cup of dried cranberries
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 for your sliced Brussels Sprouts. Slice Brussels Sprouts spray pan and lightly drizzle olive oil over with Sea Salt and pepper.
- Bake until edges of the sprouts start to crisp
- In a large pan or wok, drizzle in some olive oil and add your diced onion, chopped carrots, diced celery. (If you decided to just saute the Brussel Sprouts you can add them here too.)
- In a separate pot, follow the direction for your quinoa
- In a separate large serving bowl have your spinach or leafy greens rinsed and dried with your added dried cranberries.
- At the end combine your roasted Brussel Sprouts and vegetables with your quinoa and mix it with your spinach and allow flavors to cool down together.
**Optional if you decide to add a dressing or simply add a blend of olive oil and lemon make sure it’s a small amount so it doesn’t make the salad too greasy with oil.
LEMONBERRY & FIG 