Broccoli Quinoa Salad with Honey Lemon Dressing

We made this side dish over the weekend and it was really yummy. Trust me when I say that I love potato salads and pasta salads as much as the next girl, but when you're right in the thick of picnic and BBQ season, it seems like you go to an awful lot of events that have the same side dishes over and over again.

So, when I found this new recipe for Broccoli Quinoa Salad with a yummy honey lemon dressing, I definitely wanted to give it a try. (PS it's also got apples and walnuts and feta cheese, so what's not to like really?)

Broccoli Quinoa Salad with Honey Lemon Dressing

Salad

1 cup walnut pieces
1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa, prepared according to package instructions*
1 large Granny Smith apple
1 head broccoli
4 oz. crumbled feta cheese

Dressing

1/4 c lemon juice
1 Tbsp white wine vinegar
1/3 c olive oil
1/4 c honey
1 Tbsp dried basil*

1. Toast walnuts (if desired).
2. Core apples and cut into 1/2 inch cubes. Place in a large bowl.
3. Chop broccoli into bite sized pieces and add to bowl with apples.
4. Add quinoa, walnuts, and feta cheese to bowl and stir to combine.
5. Combine lemon juice, white wine vinegar, olive oil, honey, and basil in a small bowl. Whisk thoroughly.
6. Add vinaigrette to salad ingredients and toss to coat.
7. Chill for at least two hours before serving. 

Notes:

If you have never made quinoa before, it expands quite a bit during the cooking process. So make sure to follow the package instructions so that you don't end up with a ton of cooked quinoa on your hands!

If you want to use fresh basil in your dressing, you can use 1/4 cup. 

When you first put the salad together, you might think that the dressing to salad ratio is not correct and that there's too much dressing for your salad. However, once you put the salad in the refrigerator to chill, the quinoa will absorb quite a bit of the dressing!

Hope you'll give this yummy salad a try this summer!

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