Pear Quinoa Salad

This Pear Quinoa Salad has diced pear, bacon, red bell pepper, green onions, toasted almonds, and spinach. It’s all tossed in a slightly sweet Asian flavored dressing that is bursting with freshness. 

PEAR QUINOA SALAD

Good friends keep an eye out for things that you love or are in need of.

I have been blessed with good friends.

I complimented my friend Wendy on her earrings while she was in town and a week later I had a Brighton box shipped to my mailbox with the exact same earrings. Her thoughtfulness extended all the way from Poland (where she just moved) mind you.

Only a pregnant woman knows pregnant woman woes and getting dressed everyday is one of them.

We just returned from a weekend trip with our friends to the west coast of Florida and my very pregnant friend Kendee greeted me with four brand new cute and comfortable dresses – the same ones that got her through her pregnancy.

As she says, “comfortable enough to do yard work in and nice enough to wear out for date night“.

And finally any friend of mine knows that finding a stellar recipe makes my day. My friend Caryn sent me this recipe because she knew I would love it as much as she did. I love her for that.

This salad has diced pear, bacon, red bell pepper, green onions, toasted almonds, and spinach. It’s all tossed in a slightly sweet Asian flavored dressing that reminded me of the dressing that’s drizzled on the classic Asian chicken salad with mandarin oranges in it. This is a super light salad that is bursting with freshness.

OTHER SALAD RECIPES:

• Crunchy Pea Salad
• Poppy Seed Fruit Salad
• Fruit, Avocado, and Feta Salad
• Frito Corn Salad
• Broccoli Salad
• Grape Salad

Pear Quinoa Salad

5 from 1 vote

This Pear Quinoa Salad has diced pear, bacon, red bell pepper, green onions, toasted almonds, and spinach. It's all tossed in a slightly sweet Asian flavored dressing that is bursting with freshness. 

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Prep Time: 20 minutes mins

Cook Time: 10 minutes mins

Servings: 4 -6 servings

Ingredients

• 1 cup of uncooked quinoa
• 2 Bartlett pears, diced and peeled
• 2 green onions, sliced
• 4 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 1-2 cups of fresh spinach, coarsely chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• ¼ cup slivered or sliced almonds, toasted or roasted (see note)

Dressing:

• 1/3 cup oil, whatever kind you prefer
• 1/3 cup rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• ¼ teaspoon minced garlic
• 2 Tablespoons sugar
• ¼ teaspoon ground ginger

Instructions

 

• Prepare the quinoa according to the package directions. 1 cup dry quinoa should yield over 4 cups of cooked quinoa. Cool quinoa.
• In a large bowl add the cooled quinoa, pears, green onions, bacon, spinach, bell pepper and almonds.
• For the dressing: Combine all of the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and pour over quinoa mixture. Toss gently. You might not want to use all of the dressing depending on how wet you want your salad so add a little at a time. You could probably add the dressing ingredients directly to the quinoa but to make sure you get it incorporated it's a good idea to mix it separately. Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour before serving so that the flavors can meld.

Notes

For the almonds: To toast almonds, brown them for a couple of minutes in a skillet over medium high heat. To roast them, bake them in the oven for 8-10 minutes at 350 degrees.

Source: Meghan Miner via my friend Caryn

Cuisine: American

Course: Salad

Author: Christy Denney

Christy Denney

Christy is the voice behind The Girl Who Who Ate Everything! She is no stranger to making meals that kids and adults will love. She grew up in Mesa, Arizona as the youngest of ten kids. She can always be found in her kitchen with music playing and cooking with her kids. She published her first cookbook in 2014. She loves party food that gets the conversations going!

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