Quinoa Salad with Pears, Baby Spinach, Pecans + Maple Vinaigrette


Quinoa salad with pears spinach chick peas and toasted pecans is a delicious and light gluten free vegan side dish

Vegan Gluten-Free Bliss, Ya'll.

And it makes a fabulous (beautiful!) Labor Day picnic offering for all your guests that shun gluten, dairy, eggs, and critters.

 From the archives, in the nick of time...

If you're looking for a fresh idea to liven up your ho-hum salad plate, Sweetcakes, have I got a recipe for you. Light, vegan, and packed with protein, this is no ordinary bunny food. It's got quinoa. Studded with nutty, buttery chick peas and crunchy toasted pecans and succulent jewels of ripe, juicy pears. And did I mention, in a bowl licking maple vinaigrette?

 In fact, this is a salad even salad haters would eat. You know, those stalwart gotta have my meat and potatoes aficionados who eschew anything leafy. Who snicker at fiber. And mock carrot sticks. The sort of individual who gets misty eyed for melted butter and bacon martinis. To said individuals, salad could never be anything but rabbit chow. But this lovely mélange of flavors just might pique their interest. The sheer luxurious deliciousness of these autumnal flavors might coax them into flirting with bunny food goodness. Just this once. Then- who knows what could happen? They might settle in, fork poised, all dubious and dreaming of rib eye. They might take a bite. And then another. And another. And before you can say blueberry pancakes on a stick- they might actually smack their lips and grin and hold out their empty plate for more.

 And you.

 You could smile back, sly and slow, as you reach for the serving spoon to comply with their new found desire.

 And feed their craving.

Karina xo

Karina's quinoa salad recipe with baby spinach, pears, and chick peas, with pecans and maple vinaigrette is gluten-free and vegan.

Karina's Quinoa Salad Recipe with Pears, Baby Spinach and Chick Peas in a Maple Vinaigrette

Recipe originally published October 2010 by Karina Allrich.

Quinoa adds vegan protein and heft to simple green salads- perfect for lunch or a light supper. Use pears or apples in this recipe- either one will work.

 Ingredients:

 1 cup organic quinoa
Sea salt
2 good handfuls of organic baby spinach leaves, washed, drained
1 large ripe pear, washed, stemmed and cored, cut into pieces
1/2 cup chilled chick peas, rinsed, drained
2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
A handful of pecans, pan toasted and salted to taste

For the Maple Vinaigrette Dressing:


 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons golden balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

 Instructions:

 Rinse the quinoa thoroughly in a fine sieve. Place the quinoa in a saucepan or a rice cooker. Add 2 cups fresh water, and a pinch of sea salt. Cover and cook on a low simmer until all the water is evaporated and the quinoa is tender- roughly 20 minutes. Fluff with a fork and dump it into a large salad bowl.

 Add the baby spinach, pear, chick peas, and chopped parsley to the quinoa and fluff.

 Whisk together the vinaigrette, pour it over the quinoa salad and toss gently to coat. Season to taste with sea salt and ground pepper.

 Just before serving, add the toasted pecans and lightly combine.

 Makes four main course servings, six side dish servings.

 Recipe Source: glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com

All images & content are copyright protected, all rights reserved. Please do not use our images or content without prior permission. Thank you. 
Here's my post How to Make Quinoa in a Rice Cooker, with more quinoa recipes.

 If you are making this salad ahead of time, I suggest you make the quinoa, fluff, and add the dressing while it is warm. When it cools to room temperature, add in the spinach, chick peas and parsley; toss, cover and chill. Before serving add the pears, and toasted pecans. Taste test and add more seasoning if needed.

 Some folks like a dab of Dijon mustard in their vinaigrette- I don't, especially lately. But if you love a mustard-y flavor spike, add a teaspoon of Dijon to the salad dressing. Just don't make it too strong- it may overpower the pears.

 I prefer salads lightly dressed, Darling. If you find that your quinoa and spinach needs a bit more dressing, double the vinaigrette recipe.

Karina's quinoa salad recipe with baby spinach, pears, and chick peas, with pecans and maple vinaigrette is gluten-free and vegan.













More gluten-free quinoa recipes from fabulous food bloggers:


 FatFree Vegan Kitchen offers up a Lemony Quinoa with Butternut Squash

 Cooking with Amy serves up Quinoa Salad with Arugula, Asparagus & Avocado

Perfect Pantry's Quinoa, Black Bean, Red Pepper Salad with Honey-Lime Vinaigrette looks delicious.

 Kalyn's Kitchen whips up Quinoa Salad with Avocado, Radishes + Cucumbers in a Cumin-Lime Vinaigrette

Skinny Taste's Gina makes a tasty Quinoa Risotto

TRENDING

Gluten-Free Goddess Zucchini Bread

Image
Got Zukes Galore? Sharing a favorite summer recipe here on Gluten-Free Goddess-- a cinnamon laced tea bread made with garden fresh zucchini. You'll love it. And so will everyone else. I also jotted down some batter and baking tips for ya. See below. GFG Tips on gluten-free bread baking: Here's my all-time favorite baking pan for gluten-free breads. It's a lovely glazed ceramic pan that creates steady, even heating for gluten-free batters. In other words, it's as foolproof as you can get. Find it here at Amazon:  Good Cook 9-Inch Ceramic Loaf Pan . Make sure your batter isn't cold when you put it into the oven. If you keep your flours in the fridge, for instance, this will cool down your batter quite a bit. If you find your batter is cooler than room temperature, allow the batter to rest in the pan near the pre-heating stove and let it come to room temperature before you place the bread pan in the oven to bake (I also do this with cakes sometimes). The first time...
Read more

Gluten-Free Goddess Blueberry Crisp

Image
A Summer Classic: Blueberry Crisp We had a sudden hankering. You know how it is. A craving hits that will not be denied. Insistent. Growling. Desire with an uppercase D. So I'm digging into the archives. June is here. And you start imagining fresh, juicy blueberries, nestled beneath a perfectly golden crumble of a crust, warm, the deepest purple, bubbling as you slide it- ever so gently- out of the oven and onto a cooling rack to rest and settle until you can't stand it a minute longer, breathing in the cinnamon laced aroma of a summer dessert classic. The forever glorious blueberry crisp. And this one's gluten-free. And dairy-free. No xanthan gum either- a bonus. So darling. Don't wait. Blueberry season is short and sweet. Peace + Love, Karina xox
Read more

Calabacitas Recipe with Summer Corn, Zucchini, Green Chiles and Lime

Image
This homespun summery side dish recipe has been a favorite of ours for a long, long time. Not months. Or years. But decades. And I'll tell you why. It's easy- for starters. And reason number two- it's super delicious. And reason number three? It's gluten-free. And reason four (there's a four?)... Dairy-free and vegan for all your meat-shunning soy latte sipping groovy guests.  So get your calabasitas on, dude.  And party.
Read more

Coconut Milk Ice Cream Berry Parfaits

Image
Parfait this! Easy fancy for a long hot summer- so bookmark this one... a simple, creamy coconut ice cream recipe served parfait style with blueberries and strawberries. And it's naturally gluten-free and dairy-free. And because you make it yourself, gum-free and carrageenan-free. So many yays. It was sunny and hot yesterday, and today is a repeat. So during a heat wave, even a modest two-day hot fest, yours truly is unable to muster any enthusiasm for cooking. Typically, I live on gluten-free granola. And ice cream. Yes, I know. I am a poor, sad, sad role model. What kind of food blogger doesn't rise to the challenge and cheer-lead you to whip up baby kale and avocado salads and raw maca peach turmeric and oat milk smoothies? What kind of food blogger would simply give in to her sticky, prickly fatigue and general overall crankiness and not create some virtuous, nutrition packed bunny food miracle slurry for you? This one. She who is about to share a no-cook reci...
Read more