Healthy Crunchy Quinoa Salad (with Pistachios)

This quinoa salad is sweet, crunchy and has a little Kefir tang! It’s super healthy, gluten free and makes a quick and easy weeknight dinner!

Why You Will Love This Quinoa Salad

• The CRUNCHY. The CREAMY. The SWEET. The TANGY. Oh delicious quinoa salad, you make my belly and my taste buds smile.
• It uses Kefir, do you know it? It’s the smooth, cousin of yogurt and it has ALL the probiotic cultures. People usually use it in smoothies but it is even better in a salad!
• You’ve got a little crunch action with some pistachios. And then there’s the mega creamy feta cheese to make sure it isn’t TOO crunchy. Crunchy like whoa.

INGREDIENTS

• For the salad:
  • 2 Cups Water
  • 1 Cup Quinoa uncooked
  • 1/3 Pistachios shelled
  • 1/2 tsp Salt
  • 3/4 Cup Reduced-sugar dried cherries roughly chopped
  • 1 Cup Reduced-fat feta cheese crumbled
  • 1/4 Cup + 2 Tbsp Fresh basil minced
• For the dressing:
  • 1/2 Cup Plain Lifeway Kefir
  • 4 tsp Honey
  • 4 tsp Balsamic vinegar

INSTRUCTIONS

• In a large pot, bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Once boiling, stir in the quinoa. Cover, reduce the heat to low and cook until the moisture is absorbed (about 15 mins.) Once cooked, transfer the quinoa to a large bowl and place it into the refrigerator until cooled.
• While the quinoa cooks, preheat your oven to 400 degrees and line a small baking sheet with parchment paper. Toast the pistachios in the oven until lightly golden brown, about 10-12 mins. Set aside.
• Once the quinoa has cooled, stir in the salt, chopped cherries, crumbled feta cheese and minced basil.
• Roughly chop the toasted pistachios and add them into the salad. Stir until everything is well mixed.
• To make the dressing:
  • Stir the kefir and honey together in a medium, microwave- safe bowl. Microwave the mixture until the honey is melted and easily mixes into the kefir, about 30 seconds.
  • Stir in the balsamic vinegar.
  • Pour the dressing over the salad, mix will and DEVOUR

How to Store

This salad is perfect for meal prep. You can keep it in the fridge for up to 3 days. Make sure to store it in an airtight fridge box.

I do not recommend freezing the salad once it has been assembled. You can prepare the cooked quinoa ahead and freeze it. You can then store it in a freezer friendly container for 3 months and defrost it by leaving it in the fridge for 24 hours.

Recipe

Healthy Crunchy Quinoa Salad (with Pistachios)

5 from 4 votes

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Serves: 4 -8

Prep: 10 minutes minutes

Cook: 15 minutes minutes

Total: 25 minutes minutes

Ingredients

• For the salad:
• 2 Cups Water
• 1 Cup Quinoa uncooked
• 1/3 Pistachios shelled
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 3/4 Cup Reduced-sugar dried cherries roughly chopped
• 1 Cup Reduced-fat feta cheese crumbled
• 1/4 Cup + 2 Tbsp Fresh basil minced
• For the dressing:
• 1/2 Cup Plain Lifeway Kefir
• 4 tsp Honey
• 4 tsp Balsamic vinegar

Instructions

• In a large pot, bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Once boiling, stir in the quinoa. Cover, reduce the heat to low and cook until the moisture is absorbed (about 15 mins.) Once cooked, transfer the quinoa to a large bowl and place it into the refrigerator until cooled.
• While the quinoa cooks, preheat your oven to 400 degrees and line a small baking sheet with parchment paper. Toast the pistachios in the oven until lightly golden brown, about 10-12 mins. Set aside.
• Once the quinoa has cooled, stir in the salt, chopped cherries, crumbled feta cheese and minced basil.
• Roughly chop the toasted pistachios and add them into the salad. Stir until everything is well mixed.
• To make the dressing:
• Stir the kefir and honey together in a medium, microwave- safe bowl. Microwave the mixture until the honey is melted and easily mixes into the kefir, about 30 seconds.
• Stir in the balsamic vinegar.
• Pour the dressing over the salad, mix will and DEVOUR

Nutrition Disclaimer

Recipes written and produced on Food Faith Fitness are for informational purposes only.

Author: FoodFaithFitness

Course:Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine:American

Share your creationsTag @foodfaithfit and hashtag it #foodfaithfitness so I can see what you made!

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FOR THIS RECIPE, I RECOMMEND:

• Organic Quinoa
• Large Pot
• Mixing Bowls
• Small Baking Sheet

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