Quinoa Salad with Sweet Potatoes and Apples | Blue Zones Adapted Recipe | Plant-Based Fall Recipes

This little number is THE way to celebrate fall. It’s got everything fall like apples, pomegranate, pumpkin seeds, and sweet potatoes. 

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Eating seasonally helps me feel more connected to the earth. Chefs love to cook seasonally. It’s like getting a new palette of colors to play with. It brings you more to the present. It’s easy to do when you make art but harder to do in real life... embracing change. But the more I live the more I realize that pain comes from resisting change. When one door closes another opens. It really does!

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I stopped teaching in-person cooking classes because of the pandemic. But, I never would have started the Simple Cooking Cooking Show and reached out to chefs around the world. 

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So lesson for today is: embrace your season

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The basic run-down for this recipe is this: 

• Get those sweet potatoes in the oven. They take the longest to cook. I like to cook them long until they golden brown and caramelize a little. This makes them sweeter. 
• Once the sweet potatoes are in the oven, get the quinoa going, which just takes 15 minutes. 
• Then, make your salad dressing. 
• To plate, I spoon some hot quinoa on the bottom of the plate and then top with the fresh dressed salad. 

Quinoa and sweet potatoes can be made up to two days in advance. Just toss all ingredients together when ready to serve. It's great served chilled. 

If you make this recipe, please tag me @chefjoannas. I'd love to see your photos!

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Quinoa Salad with Sweet Potatoes and Apples

Serves 4

Ingredients: 

—¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

—½ medium red onion, chopped small

—¾ cup uncooked white or red quinoa

—1 ½ cups vegetable broth

—1 large sweet potato (about 12 ounces), peeled and cut into 1⁄2-inch cubes

—2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

—½ teaspoon salt

—¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

—6 cups arugula, preferably baby arugula

—2 medium green apples, cored and thinly sliced

—½ cup packed fresh parsley leaves, roughly chopped

—¼ cup packed fresh mint leaves, preferably spearmint leaves, roughly chopped

—1-2 Tbsp. roasted pumpkin seeds

—1-2 Tbsp. pomegranate seeds 

(optional) add feta or goat cheese

Directions: 

1. Position the rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 425°F.
2. Toss the sweet potato cubes with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil on a large rimmed baking sheet. Bake until golden brown, stirring once, about 30 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet for 20 to 30 minutes.
3. Warm 1 tablespoon of the oil in a medium sauce pan set over medium heat. Add onion, and cook 2 minutes or slightly translucent. Then, add the quinoa and cook, stirring often, until lightly toasted, about 2 minutes. Pour in 1 1⁄2 cups veg. broth, raise the heat to high, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer slowly until the water has been absorbed, about 15 minutes. 
4. Whisk the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil with the 2 T. vinegar, ½ tsp. salt, and ¼ tsp. pepper in a large salad bowl. Add the arugula, apples, sweet potatoes, parsley, and mint. Toss gently but well to serve. 
5. To serve, spoon warm quinoa on the bottom of the plate, and then top with the arugula salad, cheese pumpkin and pomegranate seeds. 

More Fall Recipes: 

• Pumpkin Risotto
• Air-Fryer Pumpkin Arancini (Rice Balls)
• Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Arugula, Pomegranate, Walnuts, and Feta

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This little number is THE way to celebrate fall. It’s got everything fall like apples, pomegranate, pumpkin seeds, and sweet potatoes. . As a chef, I love to cook seasonally. It’s like getting a new palette of colors to play with. It brings me more to the present. It’s easy to do when you make art but harder to do in real life... embracing change. But the more I live the more I realize that pain comes from resisting change. When one door closes another opens. It really does! . I stopped teaching in-person cooking classes because of the pandemic. But, I never would have started the Simple Cooking Cooking Show and reached out to chefs around the world. . So lesson for today is: embrace your season . Quinoa Salad with Sweet Potatoes and Apples . —¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil —½ medium red onion, chopped small —¾ cup uncooked white or red quinoa —1 ½ cups vegetable broth —1 large sweet potato (about 12 ounces), peeled and cut into 1⁄2-inch cubes —2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar —½ teaspoon salt —¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper —6 cups arugula, preferably baby arugula —2 medium green apples, cored and thinly sliced —½ cup packed fresh parsley leaves, roughly chopped —¼ cup packed fresh mint leaves, preferably spearmint leaves, roughly chopped —1-2 Tbsp. roasted pumpkin seeds —1-2 Tbsp. pomegranate seeds (optional) add feta or goat cheese . 1. Position the rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 425°F. 2. Toss the sweet potato cubes with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil on a large rimmed baking sheet. Bake until golden brown, stirring once, about 30 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet for 20 to 30 minutes. 3. Warm 1 tablespoon of the oil in a medium sauce pan set over medium heat. Add onion, and cook 2 minutes or slightly translucent. Then, add the quinoa and cook, stirring often, until lightly toasted, about 2 minutes. Pour in 1 1⁄2 cups veg. broth, raise the heat to high, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer slowly until the water has been absorbed, about 15 minutes. 4. Whisk the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil with the 2 T. vinegar, ½ tsp. salt, and ¼ tsp. pepper in a large salad bowl. Add the arugula, apples, sweet

A post shared by Chef Joanna’s Kitchen (@chefjoannas) on Oct 15, 2020 at 11:22am PDT

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