Crunchy Quinoa & Snap Pea Salad

This Crunchy Quinoa & Snap Pea Salad is the most refreshing & crunchy salad you will ever have! It requires very simple, basic ingredients but tastes anything but basic! It's filling, tangy, and has the perfect amount of crunch from the snap peas & almonds. It also has a good amount of protein in it even if you do not add any chicken to it! My homemade sweet vinaigrette dressing is what really tops this salad off! This recipe makes 5 large salads or 10 small side salads. The macros below assume 5 large salads. I hope you give this crunchy quinoa salad recipe a try and love it as much as I do! Be sure to try my Mediterranean Quinoa & Chickpea Salad as well!

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Reasons to Love this Crunchy Quinoa Salad

• Great for any occasion/time of the year: Eat this salad for lunch with some rotisserie chicken, have it as a side dish to your favorite meal, bring it to a potluck, picnic, and so much more! It's great any time of the year, but for some reason, this salad just screams Spring to me haha!
• Perfect Blend of Textures/Flavors: The quinoa is super fluffy with a sweet & tangy dressing, creamy goat cheese, and crunchy snap peas & almonds.
• Stays Fresh: One of my favorite ways to enjoy this salad is for lunch with some rotisserie chicken for extra protein. This salad is a great meal prep dish because it stays fresh for 5 days and does not wilt at all in the fridge. You can enjoy it all week long and it will taste & look exactly the same!

Nutritional Benefits

• Quinoa: Quinoa is full of fiber and antioxidants. Consuming lots of antioxidants reduces your risk of heart disease. Quinoa is also a good source of plant protein, iron & copper.
• Snap Peas: Snap peas are an excellent source of vitamin K, which plays an important role in keeping your bones strong!
• Almonds: Almonds contain lots of healthy fats, fiber, protein, magnesium and vitamin E.
• Goat Cheese: Goat cheese has more essential nutrients than most types of cheeses. It contains Vitamin B, calcium, iron, Vitamin A, magnesium, and more!

Ingredients

For the Salad

• Quinoa - 1 cup of dry organic tri-colored quinoa, which will yield approximately 4 cups of cooked quinoa. I used this one by the brand Prozis. You can use the code KATIE10 for 10% off their online store as well.
• Red Onion - 1/2 cup diced red onion.
• Snap Peas - 4 oz. sugar snap peas, diced.
• Goat Cheese - 4 oz. crumbled goat cheese (can also do feta).
• Honey Roasted Almonds - 1/2 cup honey-roasted sliced almonds (see note below on the almonds).
• Basil - 1/2 cup fresh chopped basil.

For the Dressing

• Olive Oil - 1/3 cup of extra virgin olive oil.
• Honey - 2 tbsp. organic honey.
• Lemon Juice - Juice and zest of 2 lemons.
• Dijon Mustard - 1 teaspoon.
• Red Wine Vinegar - 2 tbsp. red wine vinegar.

How To Make It

1. Cook quinoa according to package directions (typically 1 cup of quinoa to 2 cups of water is the ratio but double check your package directions). Allow to cool in the fridge.
2. In the meantime, whisk together dressing ingredients and also set aside in the fridge.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the quinoa, red onion, snap peas, basil, almonds, and goat cheese. Pour your dressing over the salad and enjoy!

Homemade Honey Roasted Almonds

NOTE: I make my own honey roasted almonds because the ones in grocery stores have all sorts of added nonsense! I get plain sliced almonds and toast them on a pan over medium heat with 1 tsp organic honey and voila!

How To Store Leftovers

You can store your leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days

Check Me Out on Social Media

I post all my recipes on social media as well and you can stay up to date on what I am up to! Also, I love seeing people try my recipes! When make these, snap a picture, and share it to your socials. Tag @cookingkatielady and #cookingkatielady so I can admire your masterpiece and share with others!

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