Apple Quinoa Salad with Feta and toasted almonds is the kind of healthy, high fibre salad gluten free cooks love. Once you have quinoa in your pantry and a few favourite recipes like this, you can replace orzo, bulgur or couscous in any salad and make it gluten free.

Individual dishes of Apple Quinoa Salad on a blue napkin surrounded by Granny Smith apples and slivered almonds.

If you haven't heard yet, the current recommendation for a healthy gut is to eat 30 different plants a week. It's a fun challenge so click that link, print the plant list and find out how much variety you have in your diet.

Plants are where you'll find more fibre and this post is packed with 33 High Fibre Gluten Free Recipes.

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Ingredients
Instructions to Cook Quinoa
Substitutions
Storage
Top Tip
Apple Quinoa Salad with Feta and Almonds

Ingredients

Quinoa is actually a seed, not a grain, but it's gluten free, loaded with protein, fibre, antioxidants and numerous other nutrients. It's available in red, black, white or golden colours. Best of all it's easy to find certified gluten free.

quinoa
gluten free chicken stock or water
apples
spinach, arugula or a combination
red onion
almonds
parsley
feta cheese
Dijon mustard
dried rosemary
garlic
apple cider vinegar
lemon juice
maple syrup
olive oil

See recipe card for exact amounts.

Instructions to Cook Quinoa

All varieties of quinoa cook the same, typically with one of two methods; steamed like rice, or boiled like pasta. Figure out what works for you and enjoy it hot or cold.

Cooking Quinoa with Rice Method

Add water (1 part quinoa, 2 parts water).
Bring to a boil, cover and simmer 12-15 minutes. There should be no water left.

Recipes for quinoa salads sometimes give a shorter cooking time and a 5 minute rest. I can't tell the difference so I skip that instruction.

Cooking Quinoa with Pasta Method

Add lots of water and bring to a boil with the lid on. Uncover and add quinoa. Stir, decrease heat and simmer 12-15 minutes.
Drain and use accordingly.

Most packaged quinoa has already undergone a process to remove the coating making the rinsing step unnecessary.

Substitutions

Quinoa - The recipe includes instructions to cook the quinoa. Substitute with leftover cooked quinoa when you have it.

Spinach - My original recipe called for spinach but I use arugula (that I bought to use two handfuls on a pizza) or the spinach/arugula combination I also buy. Just get something green in there!

Apples - I like to use a red and green apple for a nice looking salad. Substitute your favourite apple varieties or try something new and have an apple tasting!

Dijon - I think Dijon mustard should be a staple in any kitchen, especially if you make your own salad dressings. In the fall I often buy a grainy mustard to make Grilled Mustard Chicken with Apple Rings and Rouladen. After that I use it up in place of Dijon in any salad.

Fresh Parsley - When substituting dried herbs for fresh it is always ⅓ the amount. This recipe calls for ½ cup fresh which is 8 tablespoons. A third of that amount is 2 tablespoons and 1 teaspoon. In the recipe card I round that off to 2 tablespoons of dried and put it straight into the dressing.

Storage

Cold salads like this last 5-7 days in the fridge. Packing the salad straight into containers the size you'll use decreases the risk of cross contact with other foods. This is what leads to unappealing food no one wants to eat and eventually mold.

Top Tip

Organize for success! Invest in the containers you like. I love the low profile, wide-mouth 1-cup jars for eating salad or soup. If you don't have a system check out this post, Organize for Success with Mason Jars. My system has 7 different sizes of jars with only 2 lids.