Another Great Salad with Quinoa- Janah's Original Quinoa, Cranberry & Feta Salad

This summer  my daughter Janah came up with her very own original quinoa salad.  She's very creative in the kitchen, and she's  they're always coming up with a twist on some recipe. 

 The Lighthouse poppy seed dressing really ties all the flavors together.  She made this salad last weekend to go along with some tilapia and  yams.  I've also included some homemade poppy seed dressing recipes that go well with it.

Janah's Quinoa, Cranberry & Feta Salad

1.  Prepare quinoa:  

(1)  Cook 2 cups of quinoa according to package directions.
(2)  Put the quinoa into a shallow salad bowl to cool completely.

2.  Prepare fruit & nuts:
(1)  Coarsely chop up 1-2 apples.
(2)  Chop 1/4 cup of walnuts.

(3)  Measure 1/2- 3/4 cup of dried cranberries.

3.  Assemble salad:
(1)  Add the chopped apple, cranberries, and walnuts to the quinoa and stir.
(2)  Pour 1 bottle of Lighthouse Poppy seed dressing (or make 1 1/2 cups of your own poppy seed dressing) over the salad and stir to thoroughly combine.

Seasonal variations:  Janah told me this salad easily switches to the season.  In the summer she suggests using raspberries and mango.

Make Your Own Poppy Seed Dressing

Recipe # 1:  This recipe comes from my Syre School Cookbook

Put in a salad dressing jar and then shake:

(1)  1/2 cup of olive oil  and 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar. 

(2)   1/3 cup sugar (recipe calls for 1/2 cup!)

(3)  Then stir in 1 tsp. poppy seeds, 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce, and 1/4 tsp. paprika.

Recipe #2:  This poppy seed dressing comes from my Heritage School Cookbook

Put in a salad dressing jar and then shake:

(1)  3/4 cup olive oil, 1/4 cup lemon juice, 1/4 cup orange juice, 1/4 cup grapefruit juice

(2)  Then add 1/2 tsp.salt, 1/4 tsp. black pepper, 1/4 tsp. sugar, and  1/2 tsp.  poppy seeds.

List of Other Salads on this Blog:

Greens/cabbage:
Make it Yourself Thai Peanut Dressing for Mandarin Salad  (My friend Judi's recipe)
KFC Copycat Cole Slaw   (A friend shared this with me)
Belizean Coleslaw    (From Internet search)
Antioxidant Rich Kale Super Salad  (Copycat deli salad; orange dressing from my Syre Cookbook)

Main Dish  Poultry/FIsh Salads:
Gluten Free Chinese Chicken Cabbage Salad   (From my Heritage School Cookbook)
Baja Salad with Black Beans & Quinoa  (A remake from something I ate at a restaurant)
Mexican Grilled Salmon & Mango Salad   (From a Betty Crocker summer cookbook)
A Great Way to Make a Main Dish Salad Out of Your Garden Veggies - Nicoise Salmon Salad  (From my Heritage School Cookbook)

Pasta & Quinoa:
Tasty Gluten Free Pasta Salad  (Something I picked up over 20 years ago!)
Vietnamese Vermicelli Salad Bowls   (From an Internet search)
Michelle's Greek Quinoa Salad   (Something my daughter came up with!)
Another Great Salad with Quinoa - Janah's  Original Quinoa, Cranberry & Feta Salad  (a recipe my daughter came up with)
Red Quinoa, Black Bean, & Corn Salad  (A yummy recipe on the Trader Joe's bag of red quinoa)

Vegetable:
Jeremy D's Sensational Greek Salad   (My son-in-law's recipe)

Grandma's Perfect Potato Salad   (Family recipe)
Rose's Refreshing Cucumber Salad   (From a Chinese friend)
A Great BBQ side Salad - Curried Pea Salad  (From my church cookbook, Come & Dine)

Dot's Easy Bean Salad  (Recipe from an  83 yr old friend of my father's)

Fruit:
Grandma Marilyn's Frozen Fruit Salad  (My mother-in-law's recipe)