Walnut & Red Grape Power Salad with Maple Vinaigrette

This salad is loaded with one ingredient after another of good-for-you fruits, veggies and grains. Make extra and simply toss in the greens right before eating so you can have it all week long. There won't be any afternoon naps needed with an energy boosting salad like this!

Edamame, red grapes, toasted walnuts, quinoa and baby greens tossed with a quick maple-dijon vinaigrette.

One Year Ago Today Fig & Cherry Granola


Walnut & Red Grape Power Salad
serves 3-4
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup quinoa
salt
1 tbl extra virgin olive oil
1/2 small yellow onion, small dice
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 1/2 cups shelled edamame
1 cup roughly chopped, toasted walnuts
1 cup halved red grapes
4-5 cups baby mixed greens

Combine the water, quinoa and a pinch of salt in a pot and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes until tender.
While the quinoa is cooking, saute the onion and garlic in olive oil for 10 minutes. Add the edamame and 1/4 cup water. Cook 5 minutes more over medium heat or until the water has evaporated. Season with salt and pepper.
Combine the quinoa with the edamame, walnuts and grapes. Serve over mixed greens and drizzle with maple vinaigrette.

Maple Vinaigrette
1/4 cup canola oil
2 tbl maple syrup
1 tbl dijon mustard
salt and pepper

Combine all in a blender and process until emulsified. 

Winter Greens Salad with Roasted Tempeh

I love using hearty winter greens in my salads especially when they are in season. My favorite way to prepare them is to drizzle them lightly in olive oil and quickly roast them. This adds a great airy texture to the salad and also takes away a lot of the bitter taste dark greens come with.

Crispy kale greens, quinoa, carrots, toasted pumpkin seeds and tempeh roasted in a maple-dijon dressing turns this salad into a full and filling meal.

Roasted Tempeh
1/4 cup small diced red onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 tbl extra virgin olive oil
3 tbl tamari
3 tbl maple syrup
2 tbl dijon mustard
1 tbl apple cider vinegar
1 tbl tomato paste
1 tsp liquid smoke
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 cup vegetable broth
8oz tempeh, medium sized cubes

Preheat the oven to 425.
Combine all of the ingredients except the broth and pour 3/4ths of the mixture over the tempeh in a casserole dish. Reserve the rest for dressing. Add the broth to the tempeh and toss to combine. Roast for 25 minutes then toss. Roast 15 more minutes until the tempeh has browned well and most of the liquid has evaporated.

Winter Greens Salad
2 tbl extra virgin olive oil
1 head kale, roughly chopped
 1 cup quinoa
2 cups vegetable broth
1 carrot, grated
1/4 cup toasted pumpkin seeds
Smoky Maple Tempeh and remaining marinade

Preheat the oven to 425.
Toss the kale with oil and season with salt. Roast for 15 minutes until the edges are crispy.
In a small pot bring the quinoa, some salt and vegetable broth to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 15 minutes until fluffy. Let sit for five minutes then fluff.
Heat the remaining marinade in a small pot for 2-3 minutes just until it comes together.
Toss the kale with smoky tempeh, quinoa, carrots, pumpkin seeds and dress with marinade.

Quinoa, Tofu & Vegetable Pineapple Boats

My husband has a weird obsession with eating things made with pineapple, out of pineapple. Usually if this is offered at a restaurant it is incredibly expensive for no real reason, as they would just throw the pineapple skin and core away. Being much cheaper to make and eat at home, I decided to make this for him upon his request.
Marinated tofu, sweet pineapple, red bell pepper, crisp broccoli, cashews and quinoa tossed in a sweet glaze and served in half of a fresh pineapple.

Pineapple Boats
1 1/2 cups pineapple juice
1/2 cup organic light brown sugar
1/3 cup soy sauce
1lb extra firm tofu, drained, pressed, medium chunks
1 cup quinoa
2 tbl canola oil
1 red bell pepper, medium dice
6 scallions, green and white parts separated
1 head broccoli, small florets
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 pineapple
zest of half lime
1/2 cup toasted cashews, chopped

Combine pineapple juice, brown sugar and soy sauce in a small pot. Bring to a boil and cook for 3 minutes. Pour over tofu and marinate for 1 hour to overnight.
Bring 2 cups of water to a boil, add the quinoa, return back to a boil, cover and cook for 12 minutes. Turn off the heat and let sit for 15 minutes then fluff. Set aside.
Preheat the oil in a large saute pan. Add the red bell pepper and white parts of scallions. Over medium heat, saute for 7 minutes until vegetables start to soften. Add the broccoli and garlic and 1/2 cup of the tofu marinade. Cook 7 minutes more.
Cut the pineapple in half lengthwise, remove the inner meat and toss the core. Roughly chop the pineapple and add to the vegetables along with the lime zest. Transfer the vegetable mix to a plate and add the tofu to the hot saute pan along with a bit of marinade. Saute over medium-high until crisp on all sides, adding a bit of marinade every time the pan gets dry.
Once the tofu is done, add the vegetables back in, the remaining marinade and quinoa. Toss to combine and stuff into pineapple boats.
Garnish with cashews and green parts of the scallions.