Spring Salad with Honey Sesame Vinaigrette

Spring Salad with Honey Sesame Vinaigrette Jane Day
Jane Day is co-author with Dr. John Day of "The Longevity Plan," documenting their journey to China's Longevity Village. "Preparing food for guests has always been a stressful thing - feeling inadequate and fearing that the dishes wouldn't turn out. Posting recipes has been an exercise in the ultimate confrontation of this fear. Gratefully, the joy in figuring out how to make favorite dishes with healthier ingredients now exceeds the fear and I take courage in the idea that maybe I can help someone else do the same."

Spring Salad with Honey Sesame Vinaigrette

Packed with nutrients and protein, this spring salad is made with spinach and arugula, red quinoa, chickpeas, cranberries, shredded butternut squash, pumpkin seeds, sliced almonds and a bit of crumbled goat cheese.  The dressing is a tangy homemade vinaigrette of white balsamic, tahini, olive oil, honey and kosher salt. Colorful and delightful!
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Course Dressings and Sauces, Salad
Servings 8 servings

Ingredients
  

Spring Salad (measurements can be adjusted to taste)

  • 8 cups spinach
  • 4 cups arugula
  • 1 cup cooked red quinoa
  • 1 cup chickpeas
  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries sweetened with apple juice
  • 1/2 cup raw butternut squash shredded or grated--we just used a cheese grater, a mandolin would also work great
  • 1/2 cup raw unsalted pumpkin seeds
  • 1/2 cup almonds sliced or slivered
  • 1/2 cup goat cheese

Honey Sesame Dressing

  • 1/2 cup white balsamic vinegar
  • 1 1/2 tbsp tahini
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 tbsp raw honey or whatever honey you have on hand
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt

Instructions
 

Quinoa

  • Rinse and cook quinoa according to package or bulk food bin directions, i.e. Rinse well, then cook in pot on stovetop: 1 c quinoa to 1 1/3 cup water for about 20 minutes. Cover 5 minutes. Fluff with fork. Allow to cool.

Honey Sesame Dressing

  • Blend in blender white balsamic, tahini, olive oil, honey, and salt.

Spring Salad

  • Toss all ingredients together. Drizzle with dressing to taste.

March 10th, 2016

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3 Comments

  2. Where can you find cranberries(organic?) sweetened w apple juice?

    Are there much, if any, benefits from farm raised salmon/ or smoked salmon?
    Are they harmful in any way?
    Thanks!

    Reply