Apple Sweet Potato Quinoa Salad
Apple sweet potato quinoa salad with roasted sweet potatoes, tart apples, dried cranberries, and pecans in a maple-Dijon vinaigrette.
Ingredients
- 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and diced into 1/4-inch cubes
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 Granny Smith apple, cored and diced into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa
- 2 cups apple cider or juice
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
- 1/2 cup roasted chopped pecans
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon minced shallot
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
Preheat oven:
Heat the oven to 400°F (205°C).Roast sweet potatoes:
Combine the sweet potatoes with 2 tablespoons olive oil, then spread them on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast for roughly 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until tender and lightly browned.Cook quinoa with cranberries:
Thoroughly rinse the quinoa. In a medium saucepan, mix quinoa with apple cider; bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer, cover, and cook for around 15 minutes. Stir in the dried cranberries toward the end of the cooking time.Combine salad ingredients:
In a medium bowl, mix the slightly cooled quinoa with cranberries, sweet potatoes, apple, and red onion; toss to combine.Make maple vinaigrette:
In a small food processor, blend maple syrup, shallot, Dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar, and a pinch of salt and pepper. While the motor runs, slowly drizzle in 3 tablespoons olive oil until emulsified.Toss salad with dressing:
Pour the vinaigrette over the salad and toss to coat evenly.Garnish with pecans:
Garnish with the roasted pecans.