Meanwhile mix the warm quinoa with the cranberries and olive oil/ lemon juice dressing.
Then add in the onions, and then stir in the almonds. That’s it!
Autumn Quinoa Salad with Caramelized Onions, Dried Cranberries & Sage
Delicious warm or cold, this salad has all the Fall feels. Just 5 main ingredients plus a simple EVOO/ lemon juice dressing, it's easy to prep, packed with different flavors and textures and delicious. This is a versatile side working equally well alongside roasted vegetables and grilled protein. Great for an every day or holiday table.
Servings: 6 servings
Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa uncooked
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries or more to taste could also use dried cherries
- 2-3 tablespoons EVOO divided
- 2 medium onions thinly sliced into rings (approximately 2 cups)
- approximately 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1-2 tablespoons fresh sage chopped
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds more to taste
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Make Quinoa
- Rinse quinoa
- In a medium saucepan, add quinoa and 2 cups of water.
- Bring to a boil. Immediately reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and set aside.
- You can assemble the salad immediately or later.
Caramelize Onions
- Meanwhile, heat 1-2 tablespoon oil to cover the base of a large skillet over medium heat.
- Add onions, sprinkle with salt and cook over medium low heat, stirring occasionally until soft and golden brown, approx 15 to 20 minutes.
- Remove from heat and stir in sage.
- Tip: To get the brown crispy parts from the base of the skillet, add a tablespoon or two of water to the pan stir over medium low heat for a minute. The brown parts will "lift" from the pan and you can add them to the quinoa salad at the end for extra flavor if you want.
Make Dressing
- Mix together remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and lemon juice.
Assemble
- Add cranberries to the dressing and let sit for a minute or two.
- Add dressing along with cranberries to cooked quinoa and toss to combine.
- Add onions and sage to the quinoa mixture and toss to combine
- Add almonds and toss to combine
- Taste and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the extra brown bits from the caramelized onions skillet as desired. Add more lemon juice as desired. Stir well and enjoy!
- Serve warm or cold.
- Stays well in the refrigerator for several days in a sealed container.
Tried this recipe?Mention @HealthyGFFamily or tag #HealthyGFFamily!
This is DELICIOUS! The flavors capture the essence of Fall. I plan to bring this to a family wedding for my daughter (Celiac) and myself (gluten sensitive) in a couple weeks. Tested it in our kitchen this afternoon. It is fantastic. Thanks so much for the recipe, Karen! Appreciate your help and advice! ?
Thanks so much Debbie! Glad you love it and happy to help out any time!
If i want to make ahead for thanksgiving….how far would you go with assembly, , maybe dont add almonds until serving? If prefer warm, can you microwave to re heat? Thanks so much!