This gluten-free Apricot Quinoa Summer Salad from Nutrition Stripped is filled with sweet antioxidant-rich apricots and refreshingly cool cucumbers. Bursts of citrus, fresh herbs, and earthiness from nutty almonds create a great balance of flavors for an amazing side dish.
Apricot Quinoa Summer Salad
Ingredients
- 1 cup (180g) quinoa, uncooked
- 2 cups (475ml) water
- 4-5 (200g) fresh apricots, halved and then quartered
- 1 cup (150g) cucumbers, chopped
- 1/2 cup (75g) zucchini, chopped
- 1/3 cup (10g) fresh parsley
- 1/2 cup (75g) almonds, chopped
- 1/4 cup (60ml) olive oil
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- juice of 1 orange
- 1-2 threads of saffron
- 1 clove garlic, minced
Directions
Bring the water to a boil, add quinoa and seasonings. Cook to simmer for 25 minutes or until quinoa is fluffy.
Using the olive oil, orange juice, apple cider vinegar, sea salt, and saffron whisk until mixed for a dressing.
Take quinoa off the heat, set to cool. Once cool, stir in all ingredients including the dressing and adjust seasonings to taste.
Enjoy at room temperature or cold. Garnish with more fresh parsley and chopped almonds.
Nutrition Information
Serves: 6 | Serving Size: 1 side salad
Per serving: Calories: 255; Total Fat: 15g; Saturated Fat: 2g; Monounsaturated Fat: 9g; Cholesterol: 0mg; Sodium: 380mg; Total Carbohydrates: 26g; Dietary Fiber: 4g; Sugars: 5g; Protein: 7g
Nutrition Bonus: Potassium: 229mg; Vitamin A: 17%; Vitamin C: 28%; Calcium: 5%; Iron: 11%
7 Responses
I’m not sure why my comment didn’t post, but I’ll try again because this recipe isn’t very clear. Parsley – flat or curly? “Bring water to a boil, add quinoa and seasonings” – which seasonings? Seems like the saffron goes into the dressing, but are we seriously boiling the garlic and parsley with the quinoa?
It tells u how to make the dressing. Parsley-diced. Seasoning: Olive oil. Apple vinegar. Sea salt .saffron.
I too wondered which seasonings? I cooked the quinoa (tri-color which was very pretty) by itself and then let it sit in the saucepan over VERY low heat, stirring frequently, until it seemed quite dry. Without doing this I was afraid the salad would be too watery, even after draining well. All the other “seasonings” I used in making the dressing, I left the garlic uncooked but minced. However, I left out the parsley, curly from my garden, and just tossed it with the salad at the very end, I also eliminated the saffron which is too $$$$. It was delicious and I’ll make it again, but I’m going to try dried and soaked apricots next time as my fresh ones had no flavor and were quite mushy. Hope this helps.
I made the salad this weekend and it was great. Yes, what Megan mentioned wasn’t very clear but I improvised. I used curly parsley, added a bit of it and the garlic to the quinoa when it was already getting fluffy and most of the water was gone. Also added a little pepper and salt.
I made this salad today. I was not able to get fresh apricots, so I used dried apricots instead that I cooked for 10 minutes, let cool, then sliced into pieces. I put the garlic in the cooked quinoa, but it could also be added to the dressing. Overall I was pleased with this salad, especially once it was chilled and the quinoa absorbed the dressing. I was wondering if anyone has substituted other fresh fruit for the apricots?
Can u use peaches