This cold quinoa salad with cherries and toasted almonds is tossed in a zesty citrus vinaigrette. It is an easy make-ahead side dish that is delicious alongside grilled salmon or chicken. You can marinate either protein in the citrus vinaigrette too.
In a small bowl, mix orange juice, orange zest, vinegar, salt, and pepper
Slowly whisk in EVOO and whisk until thickened.
Quinoa Salad with Cherries
Place almonds in a small non-stick frying pan. Gently heat them over medium heat, stirring to toast them. As soon as they begin to brown remove them from the heat and place them in a small bowl and set them aside.
In the same small frying pan, heat a teaspoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook for about 3 minutes until translucent. Remove from heat.
Place the quinoa in a medium bowl. Add the onions, almonds, cherries, orange zest, thyme, salt, and pepper and stir to combine.
Drizzle in 1/4 cup of the orange citrus vinaigrette and toss to coat. Reserve the rest of the vinaigrette for something else or to use as a marinade for chicken or seafood.
Notes
I like to make a batch of quinoa over the weekend and use it throughout the week to make salads or grain bowls. If you haven't cooked it ahead, you will need to add 20 - 30 minutes to your prep time and give the quinoa time to cool before mixing everything together.The vinaigrette recipe makes 3/4 of a cup. You'll only use 1/4 cup for the salad but the rest makes a great marinade for chicken or seafood.