We received these cranberries from Cape Code Select as part of a blogger contest. All thoughts, opinions, and recipes are purely our own.
I love quinoa but I rarely make it! If you are an infrequent quinoa maker, you should definitely add this recipe to your inventory. We whipped up another cranberry recipe a few posts ago which was equally as delicious. That one was best for carnivores but this one is totally vegetarian friendly!
We used frozen cranberries from Cape Cod Select, a family owned cranberry company that’s been harvesting these little gems for over 75 years in the heart of “cranberry country” on their 800 acre cranberry farm. The wonderful thing is you can order them directly off their website here! If you order a giant bag (3lb!), you’ll have plenty to whip up both of our recipes and even more!
Luckily, the folks over at Cape Cod Select have some awesome recipes ideas on their website! You can also check out their Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram for some great inspiration.
Ah, these are just so beautiful. I love the color and how they really pop with the quinoa. I used frozen cranberries for this recipe but you could definitely use totally fresh ones too! I actually let them thaw just a little bit so they wouldn’t cool down the quinoa too much before it finished cooking. You’ll want to cook them a bit in the hot water with the quinoa to let them get a bit softer.
Once your quinoa and cranberry mixture are done cooking, drain (if needed) and pour into a serving bowl. Gently fluff the quinoa to get it to that nice texture we all love. Let it cool just a bit before adding your other ingredients. If you are making this side dish with an entree, I’d let the quinoa and cranberry blend hang out while you finish the rest of your dinner.
Literally this salad is SO easy and so delicious! The tartness of the cranberries fades a bit when you cook them with the quinoa and is so balanced with the feta and green onions. I wanted to eat the entire bowl myself!
The nice thing about this is you can easily adapt for allergies or for your vegan pals! I have a wonderful friend who is a vegan and I was so excited when I told her “I made a vegan friendly recipe for you … as long as you remove the feta!” Same goes with the cashews, just remove those and voila, (nut) allergy friendly.
Like I said in my other cranberry post, these are probably my most favorite cranberries I’ve ever tasted. Sometimes frozen fruit can be weird but these little morsels of goodness seriously stay SO perfect. I can’t get enough of them!
Quinoa Salad with Cranberries, Feta + Cashews!
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry quinoa
- 1 1/4 cups water or vegetable broth
- 3/4 cup Cape Cod Select premium frozen cranberries slightly thawed
- 2 Tablespoons green onion chopped
- 1/2 cup feta
- 1/2 cup cashews
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Rinse and drain your quinoa, using a mesh strainer. Make sure to really clean them! Then, add to a medium pot and cover with water or vegetable broth. Bring to a boil.
- Once it’s boiling, reduce to a simmer and slightly cover for about 6-8 minutes. Then, add frozen cranberries and stir. Again, slightly covered, cook for another 6-8 minutes.
- Remove quinoa/cranberry mixture and drain slightly, if needed. Season with salt and pepper and gently fluff with a fork. Pour in serving bowl and set aside to cool.
- Add chopped green onion, feta, and cashews to cranberry/quinoa and gently mix until fully combined.
- Enjoy!
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