Spinach Quinoa Salad with Roasted Grapes, Pears and Almonds

After a hiatus for the month of April (for National Grilled Cheese Month) it's time for the rest of Salad Wednesday. 

Other Salad Wednesday Posts: Fried Green Tomato Salad with Melon Relish; Blood Orange Salad with Goat Cheese and Pecans; Endive Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing; Kale Roasted Celery Root, Deviled Eggs and Spiced Almond Salad.

Recipe from Two Peas and Their Pod.

Ingredients:

-2 cups red seedless grapes

-2 large Bartlett pears, chopped

-1 tablespoon honey

-2 cups water

-Pinch of sea salt

-1 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained

-8 cups fresh spinach

-1/2 cup chopped almonds

For the Lemon-Honey Dressing

-2 tablespoon olive oil

-3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

-1 1/2 teaspoons honey

-1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

-1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

To Roast the Grapes and Pears:

Combine grapes and pears in a small bowl, drizzle with honey and stir until fruit is well coated. Pour the fruit onto a large greased baking sheet and spread into a single layer. Roast fruit for 15-20 minutes.

Quinoa:
Cook the quinoa according to package directions in the two cups of water.

Lemon-Honey Dressing:
Combine olive oil, lemon juice, honey, salt, and pepper in a small jar with a tight-fitting lid, close, and shake until well combined.

To make the salad, top the spinach with cooked quinoa, roasted fruit and almonds. Spoon the dressing over top in the desired amount.

Dave and I both really enjoyed this recipe, the flavors were light, but the salad was filing due to the quinoa. I thought roasting the grapes and pears helped to bring out the flavor of them. The almonds added a nice crunch to what was otherwise a soft salad.