Simple Cherry Quinoa Salad with Balsamic Dressing (vegan, gluten-free)
This simple cherry quinoa salad with balsamic dressing is the perfect summer salad that will be on repeat this season. I love how simple, yet delicious, this salad is. The fresh cherries and quinoa is such a good combo. It’s an easy and healthy salad to throw together.
The quinoa adds some protein and fiber to keep you full longer and the pistachios add the perfect nutty note. You can have this salad as an appetizer/side dish or as a main meal. The cherries add a juicy, sweet and tart bite. It’s a refreshing salad that is light, delicious, and filling. It comes together quickly, so you don’t have to worry about any complicated instructions or ingredients.
If you make this simple cherry quinoa salad with balsamic dressing, tag me @nutsaboutgreens on Instagram so I can see your creations!
Simple Cherry Quinoa Salad with Balsamic Dressing (vegan, gluten-free)
Ingredients
Dressing
- 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 1 tsp pure maple syrup
- 1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
- 1/8 tsp sea salt
Salad
- 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
- 1 cup cherries, pitted and halved
- 4 big handfuls of greens (any will be great)
- 1/3 cup pistachios, roughly chopped
Instructions
- Cook quinoa according to package’s instructions.
- While quinoa is cooking, making the dressing. Combine all dressing ingredients in a small bowl or jar and whisk until well combined.
- When quinoa is done, add it to a big mixing bowl. Then add the cherries, greens, and chopped pistachios. Drizzle dressing over it and mix until everything is well combined. Enjoy!
Would the salad be better if the quinoa was toasted first? Also, I made the dressing in the bowl I was going to make the whole salad so when it said add the quinoa to the bowl I dumped it into the dressing! When it was time to add all the ingredients the dressing was taken up mostly by the quinoa. I would have written this differently!
Hi! You could definitely toast the quinoa first if you’d like. I think that would be very yummy with that toasty flavor. Thanks for the note. I’ll look into clarifying that! Hope you enjoyed it!