Sweet Quinoa Salad w/ Brussels Sprouts & Smoked Salmon

Sweet Quinoa Salad filled with sauteed Brussels sprouts, pecans, onions, tomatoes, dried cranberries, avocado, orange slices, smoked salmon, and dressed with a fig balsamic vinegar. Serve hot or cold! 
Good morning, and happy Sunday!

I hope you all had a great week and an even better weekend. I’m up super early on a Sunday morning drinking coffee and relaxing before my day starts. I hope to finish the painted vanity project today. It’s 66-degrees outside right now, which is rare in the south, so I’ll be heading out to paint as soon as I finish typing up this recipe post.

I will also be meal prepping this afternoon, which I know a lot of you do on Sunday, so I figured it would be a good idea to get this delicious recipe up just in case you wanted to switch up your meal prep and try something new!
I don’t know why it took me so long to fall in love with quinoa salads. You can customize quinoa anyway you want! The combos are endless. Quinoa is also super healthy! It’s gluten-free, high in protein, high fiber, and contains healthy fats! It contains magnesium, B vitamins, iron, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, and vitamin E. So if you’re sick of eating rice in your meal preps, maybe try to mix in quinoa instead! 
This quinoa salad can be prepared in under thirty minutes! If you need a quick and easy dish to bring to a party or potluck, this is it! It’s also pretty and not your typical potluck dish. It’s sure to be a colorful hit!

The ingredients are so fresh and a great way to get in all your nutrients. Adding seasonal vegetables to your quinoa bowls throughout the year is a great way to save money, and use up the fresh farmer’s market produce. 
This salad is delicious cold and hot. It’s whatever you prefer 🙂

While the quinoa was cooking on the stovetop, I sauteed the brussels sprouts. This is the only time-consuming part of the dish, and it only took about fifteen minutes.  If you don’t like brussels sprouts, try adding arugula, or cooked asparagus. Get creative and customize it to your preference!

This recipe is gluten-free and dairy-free, but it would be great with some added goat cheese and honey on top!

After adding in the chopped onion, cooked brussels sprouts, cranberries, tomatoes, avocado, pecans, and smoked salmon, I mixed in some fig-balsamic and tossed it all together. I stored the salad in a large container in the fridge, and we ate it all week long! It was so delicious and perfect as a side to all of our meals.
I squeezed a little fresh orange and drizzled a bit of honey on top.

If you’d like to make this recipe vegan, just leave out the honey and smoked salmon. You could add cooked tofu! 

Sweet Quinoa Salad w/ Brussels Sprouts & Smoked Salmon

Taralynn McNitt

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30 mins

Course Appetizer, Main Course, Side Dish

Ingredients

  

• 5 Cups Quinoa cooked
• 2 Cups Brussels Sprouts halved
• 1/2 Cup Dried Cranberries
• 1 Cup Pecans
• 1/3 Cup Red Onion chopped
• 1 Cup Tomatoes halved
• 1 Medium Avocados
• 4 Ounces Smoked Salmon or your choice of protein
• 1 Tbsp Honey
• 1/4 Cup Fig-Infused Balsamic
• 2 Tbsps Avocado Oil or your choice of oil
• 3 Tbsps Fresh Orange Juice
• salt and pepper

Instructions

 

• Prepare the quinoa on the stovetop.  

  While the quinoa cooks, saute the brussels sprouts in one tablespoon of oil, and season with salt and pepper. 
• Add cooked quinoa, brussels sprouts, onion, pecan, cranberries, avocado, and tomatoes to a large mixing bowl. 
• Toss in the orange juice, avocado oil, balsamic, and honey. Combine well. 
• Chop the smoked salmon and mix in.  (you could leave the salmon out, or add your choice of protein) 

Now, I’m off to walk the dogs, work on the vanity project, meal prep, and then sit down later to blog my weekly recap! Make the best of your Sunday! xo

Questions for you!

1. What is your favorite summer salad combo?
2. Do you cook with quinoa often?
3. Are you a weekly meal-prepper?