Festive Pomegranate Orange Quinoa Salad – Hassle-free & Healthy Holiday Side

Posted on December 6, 2023 by Jennifer FIsher

Deck your plate for the holidays with this festive quinoa salad featuring pomegranate and orange. it’s a beautiful, healthy, delicious recipe elegant enough for the season’s celebrations and simple enough for a simple weeknight dinner.

A simple creamy dressing made with a vinaigrette base along with Greek yogurt and date syrup adds even more flavor to this simple holiday quinoa salad that comes together with just a handful of healthy ingredients.

This pomegranate orange quinoa recipes makes 4 servings, each with 146 calories, 26g carbs, 3.1g fat and 4.8g protein.

I pair this cold quinoa salad with a quality protein to make sure I’m hitting my 25-30g per meal goal. Tonight, I made cod that was simply seasoned and air-fried.

TIPS FOR FESTIVE QUINOA SALAD:

Quinoa: You can use any color quinoa (eg: white, red, black, mixed). Also, consider batch-cooking quinoa and keeping in the freezer in 1-cup portions. This makes creating quick recipes with this healthy whole grain (really a seed), even easier – you can read my quinoa prep post HERE.

Pomegranate & Oranges: Use fresh or pre-packaged, it really only comes down to your preference and time to prep. If using either from a jar, tub, or can, choose “no sugar added” and drain off the juice so the quinoa isn’t soggy later. However, do reserve about 1 tablespoon of pomegranate juice for the dressing (or if fresh, drain it from the bowl after getting the arils out).

Dressing: This recipe makes just enough for the salad, and I prefer underdressed salads. If you think it needs more, double the dressing recipe and pour it on a little at a time – going by taste. Also, if you’d like to turn this from a vegetarian quinoa recipe into a vegan quinoa recipe, then use a substitute for the Greek yogurt, such as a plant-based yogurt, tahini or a natural nut butter.

Optional Ideas: You can swap out the pistachios for a chopped nut of choice like almonds, pecans – or none at all. Also, I love to sprinkle mine with feta cheese for a salty contrast with the sweet.

Make Ahead & Storing: This recipe will get a little soggy if you make the day before. To save time, it’s best to prep the ingredients (cook quinoa, chop spinach, peel/seed fruit, etc) the day before. Then simply toss everything together and shake up the dressing – it will literally just take 2 minutes! You can store leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days. Still tastes yummy, but the crunch of the nuts and crisp of the spinach will be gone.

This is one of my favorite creative quinoa salad ideas – for it’s flavor, fast-fixing, and festive appearance! Enjoy!

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Festive Holiday Pomegranate Orange Quinoa Salad

Prep Time

10 mins

Total Time

10 mins

Transform plain quinoa into something to celebrate for theholiday season! Pomegranate, orange segments and pistachios bejewel this quick,easy and nourishing vegetarian salad that is equally beautiful for a dinnerparty or quick lunch!

Course: entree salad, Side Dish

Cuisine: holiday

Keyword: holiday, orange, pomegranate, quinoa

Servings: 4 servings

Calories: 162 kcal

Ingredients

1 cup cooked quinoa
1 cup chopped fresh baby spinach
¾ cup pomegranate arils juice drained & reserved if packaged container
¾ cup mandarin orange segments packed in water or juice or fresh
¼ cup shelled pistachio kernels coarsely chopped

Dressing:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon juice reserved from pomegranate or orange segments
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon date syrup
1/8 teaspoon salt

Instructions

Add quinoa, spinach, pomegranate and orange segments (cut in half crosswise) into medium bowl.
In small mason jar, shake together dressing ingredients until emulsified.
Pour dressing over salad and gently stir.
Before serving, stir in pistachios.
Best eaten right after making to keep the texture of the lettuce and pistachios. But you can store leftovers in fridge for up to 3 days and it’s still good.

Recipe Notes

One Pot, Easy Cheesy Shrimp Quinoa-Rice Bake

Posted on October 24, 2022 by Jennifer FIsher

One Pot, Easy Cheesy Shrimp Quinoa-Rice Bake makes mid-week seem mighty fine! Enjoy a shrimp that is low mess and low stress, taking only 30 minutes prep to plate!

Prep to plate in 30 minutes! You can also make ahead and store this shrimp casserole in the fridge until ready to bake. Loaded with protein, veggies and healthy whole grains in a comforting, cheddar cheese sauce.

Succulent shrimp with mushrooms, onions, and spinach marry in a creamy sharp cheddar sauce with a brown rice-quinoa providing the whole grains you need. It’s at once comfort food AND yet a beautifully balanced meal.

Made over a bit from the heavy, calorie and fat laden traditional shrimp rice casseroles, this version uses smaller amounts of dairy, lots of veggies, plenty of shrimp –and some quinoa in lieu of the typical “all rice” shrimp casserole.

You get a whopping 29g protein for only 360 calories. Full nutrition details in this 6-serving shrimp recipe.

Check out this quick 15-second tutorial!

I use an oven-proof 10” skillet with lid for this recipe, but you can also use a Dutch oven or a 2-quart casserole dish (you’ll have an extra dish to wash with this last option thought).

I use frozen (thawed) peeled, tail-off, deveined shrimp to make this recipe extra easy and convenient. When cooking the shrimp, it’s a “par cook,” meaning you saute in the skilled for just a couple minutes until the grey is gone and they have barely just turned pink – the remainder of cooking is done in in the oven. Just a heads up so you don’t get rubbery shrimp.

After sauteing the shrimp, the veggies, and making the cheesy sauce, the shrimp and quinoa rice blend are mixed in – and then it bakes at 325F degrees for about 15 minutes. However, this can also be a make-ahead casserole recipe by doing all steps up until the last baking step. Just prepped dish in in the fridge until ready to bake, and add on 5 or so extra baking minutes to compensate for starting it cold.

5 from 6 votes

One Pot Cheesy Shrimp Quinoa-Rice Bake

Prep Time

15 mins

Cook Time

15 mins

Total Time

30 mins

Prep to plate in 30 minutes! You can also make ahead and store this shrimp casserole in the fridge until ready to bake. Loaded with protein, veggies and healthy whole grains in a comforting, cheddar cheese sauce.

Course: dinner

Keyword: one dish, quinoa, shrimp

Servings: 6 servings

Calories: 360 kcal

Ingredients

3 Tbsp Butter (divided)
1 Tbsp. minced Garlic
24 oz. large Shrimp peeled, tail-off, deveined
1 cup chopped Onion
8 oz. sliced Mushrooms
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 1/3 cup 2% milk
1 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Italian Seasoning
6 oz. shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese divided
3 cups Baby Spinach
2 cups cooked Brown Rice
1 cup cooked Quinoa

Instructions

Pre-heat oven to 325F.
Add 1 tbsp butter to 10” deep skillet or Dutch oven. Melt, cook shrimp over medium-high heat for just 2 to 3 minutes until barely pink (don’t over cook).
Remove shrimp, set aside in bowl. Keep shrimp juices in pan, add 1 tbsp butter, onions, and mushrooms and saute for 2-3 more min until tender.
Add last 1 tbsp. butter,to mushrooms, melt and sprinkle flour over. Stir around for 30 sec, pour in milk in a slow steady stream while stirring to incorporate smooth with mushroom mixture. Let bubble for 1 minute until milk hot, then stir in 4-oz. of cheese, salt, seasoning, stir until melted.
Remove from heat, stir in baby spinach, cooked rice and quinoa, and the shrimp. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top and bake for 15 minutes until heated through, sauce bubbling, cheese melted.
If needed, you can make up to the baking step and then keep covered in the fridge until ready. Then cook as directed adding about 5 to 7 more minutes to the baking time, bringing it to 20 to 22 minutes baking.

Recipe Notes

Maple Mustard Halibut with Pecan-Quinoa | Air Fryer Friendly

Posted on December 11, 2021 by Jennifer FIsher

Maple Mustard Halibut with Pecan-Quinoa Topping (in the air fryer or conventional oven) is ridiculously easy and absolutely delicious weeknight meal or special occasion supper.

Deliciously flakey and moist with a satisfyingly crunchy topping, this easy halibut recipe only takes 5 minutes to prep and 10 minutes to cook in an air-fryer.

First, I started with wild hook-and-line-caught Alaskan halibut. This hearty white fish is a personal favorite with tender flakes, a delicate flavor yet meaty texture that holds its own in any recipe. However, other firm fish can be used such as cod or salmon.

Next up an easy smear of stone-ground mustard mixed with maple syrup, just enough to make a layer between the fish and halibut topping of ground pecans and quinoa that crusts up so nice and crunchy while baking.

Meal prepping cooked quinoa for the freezer.

For a time-saving convenience, I keep a bag of COOKED quinoa in my freezer for recipes like this or to sprinkle in salads or soups. See my quinoa meal prep post HERE.

As far as a quick fish dinner, this pecan-quinoa crusted halibut recipe wins taking only about 10 minutes on 400F degrees. I use a toaster-oven style air fryer (the Omni Plus XL Toaster Oven – Air Fryer from Instant) because I like the spacious interior and front-opening functionality (it’s like a smaller-version of my big oven) but a basket-style air-fryer will work too.

If you are cooking in a conventional oven, the temperature remains the same, but you’ll just cook up to 5 minutes longer (keep an eye on it because if the pecan quinoa topping for fish starts to get too brown, you’ll need to loosely cover with a swatch of foil.

Such an easy fish recipe using halibut and nutritious too, with 275 calories, 7.7g protein, 11.4g net carb, and 40.1g protein per serving.

Note: This post contains affiliate links.

5 from 2 votes

Maple Mustard Halibut with Pecan-Quinoa Topping

Prep Time

5 mins

Cook Time

10 mins

Total Time

15 mins

Deliciously flakey and moist with a satisfyingly crunchy topping, this easy halibut recipe only takes 5 minutes to prep and 10 minutes to cook in an air-fryer.

Course: dinner, dinner, entree

Keyword: 15 minutes, air fryer, fish, halibut

Servings: 2 servings

Calories: 275 kcal

Ingredients

10 to 12 oz fresh halibut or other firm fish like cod or salmon
1 1/2 tbsp. stone ground mustard
1 1/2 tbsp. real maple syrup
¼ cup finely chopped raw pecans
½ cup cooked quinoa
1/2 tsp. salt
½ tsp. ground pepper
2 tbsp. minced fresh parsley
Olive oil spray

Instructions

Pat halibut dry with paper towel. In small bowl, mix together mustard and syrup.
Slather mustard mixture on top only portion of fish. In small bowl, mix together pecans, cooked quinoa, salt, pepper and parsley.
Spoon onto top of fish and use hands to pat down into a crust, extended as far out to the edges of fish as possible.
Lightly spray top of pecan-quinoa mixture on fish with olive oil.
Pre-heat air fryer to 400F degrees.*
Transfer fish by large spatula to air fryer basket.
Air fry for approximately 10 to 12 minutes, until fish flakes and coating on top is turning lightly brown.
Remove immediately from air fryer and serve. With optional prepared honey mustard sauce or other condiment of choice.
(=*for conventional oven, heat to 400F and bake for approx. 14 to 18 minutes).

Recipe Notes

How to Make the Best Popped Quinoa

Posted on September 30, 2021 by Jennifer FIsher

Toasting quinoa gives it a great texture, fabulous aroma, and magnifies the nutty flavor. Plus, it’s a great way to add more of this ancient grain (which is actually a seed), into your diet – the health benefits of quinoa are plentiful. It’s a good source of plant protein, fiber, and heart-healthy fats, just to name a few.

Popping quinoa gives it a wonderful aroma, crunchy yet chewy texture, and nutty flavor -- eat like popcorn, toss on everything from yogurt to salads, or use as an ingredient in recipes like energy balls or granola bars. — *Whether you call it Toasted, Puffed or Popped, prepping quinoa this way will make you smile.*

The process of toasting quinoa is also referred to as “popping” or “puffing.” Store-bought puffed quinoa (like quinoa cereal) is very light and crispy. This is achieved through commercial-grade equipment and not 100-percent replicable at home. But just throwing quinoa kernels into a skillet (as is the usual method mentioned on internet sources), yields a very dry, hard result – almost like chewing on sand.

The best method for popping quinoa at home, in my opinion, is to cook it first, dry it out in the oven, and then pop on the skillet for a few minutes. I think you get a bigger “finished” kernel with better textures – it’s crunchy-chewy, but doesn’t feel like a mouthful of pea gravel.

Here is the step-by-step on how to pop quinoa (you can also check out my PIN TUTORIAL).

Rinse quinoa in bowl of water and drain off in an extra fine-mesh strainer to remove the natural coating which can have a soapy, bitter taste. However, some people don’t notice an unpleasant taste, then lucky you – skip this somewhat tedious step!

Simmer 1 cup of rinsed quinoa with 1 ¼ cups of water for 15 minutes, with lid on – or until water is absorbed.

Dry out quinoa (which will have expanded to 3 cups) by spreading out on a rimmed, standard-sized sheet pan. Bake for 30 minutes 175F degrees to further dry out excess moisture. Every 10 minutes, use spatula to stir up quinoa, break apart any clumps, and keep from sticking on the pan.

Skillet pop quinoa after you remove it from oven. Work in 1-cup batches, toast in large non-stick skillet, stirring constantly (no oil needed). Quinoa will be toasted properly when you hear the tiny popping sounds and it is turning golden brown and developing a crunchy texture.

You can use popped quinoa or toasted quinoa in a variety of ways. For example, add salt and eat like popcorn, sprinkle on salads or on yogurt, use in granola-bar type recipes. It’s one of my favorite ways to meal prep quinoa. What you don’t use can be kept in the fridge in a zip top bag for a week.

Popped Quinoa (also called Puffed Quinoa or Toasted Quinoa)

Popping quinoa gives it a wonderful aroma, crunchy yet chewy texture, and nutty flavor — eat like popcorn, toss on everything from yogurt to salads, or use as an ingredient in recipes like energy balls or granola bars.

Course: meal prep, side, Snack

Keyword: meal prep, quinoa, whole grains

Ingredients

1 cup dry uncooked quinoa, any color
1 1/4 cup water

Instructions

Rise quinoa in bowl of water and drain off in a fine-mesh strainer to remove the natural coating which can have a soapy, bitter taste. However, some people don’t notice an unpleasant taste, then lucky you – skip this somewhat tedious step!
Simmer 1 cup of rinsed quinoa with 1 ¼ cups of water for 15 minutes, with lid on – or until water is absorbed.
Spread out quinoa (which will have expanded to 3 cups) out on a rimmed, standard-sized sheet pan.
Bake for 30 minutes 175F degrees to further dry out excess moisture. Every 10 minutes, use spatula to stir up quinoa, break apart any clumps, and keep from sticking on the pan.
Remove quinoa from oven and, working in 1-cup batches, toast in large non-stick skillet, stirring constantly (no oil needed).
Quinoa will be toasted properly when you hear the tiny popping sounds and it is turning golden brown and developing a crunchy texture.
You can use popped quinoa or toasted quinoa in a variety of ways. For example, add salt and eat like popcorn, sprinkle on salads or on yogurt, use in granola-bar type recipes. What you don’t use can be kept in the fridge in a zip top bag for a week.

Air Fryer Chicken Alfredo Quinoa Balls

Posted on September 22, 2021 by Jennifer FIsher

My Air Fryer recipe for Chicken Alfredo Quinoa Balls is inspired by one of my favorite indulgent creamy Chicken Alfredo and hot, crispy Arancini (those delicious little balls of deep-fried rice or risotto) – but made more nutritious.

Chicken Alfredo Quinoa Balls are inspired by one of my favorite indulgent Italian meals, creamy Chicken Alfredo and hot, crispy Arancini (those delicious little balls of deep-fried rice or risotto) – but made more nutritious. So quick and simple to make, and definitely kid-friendly, these delicious morsels can be served as an appetizer or served on sauce as a meal. Visit thefitfork.com for more Instant Pot and Air Fryer recipes with great nutrition to fuel a busy and active lifestyle.

Instead of heavy sauces, super carby-carbs, and cooking methods I shy from (like traditional deep frying of rice balls), Air Fryer Chicken Alfredo Quinoa Balls keep all the decadent flavor served up in fun, nourishing “two-bite” morsels. For me, one Chicken and Quinoa appetizer or dinner is easy to portion – one makes a snack and three quinoa balls make a dinner (especially yummy on the sauce of your choice or on a spinach salad). A three-piece serving has 364 calories, 16g fat, 28g net carb, 27g protein.

This air fryer quinoa arancini recipe is surprisingly simple to make, especially if you already have cooked, shredded chicken breast on hand. I always make a big batch in Instant Pot® Duo Crisp™ + Air Fryer and shred up when cooled, and keep portioned in various serving sizes in the freezer – for recipes like this Chicken Quinoa Balls in Air Fryer. Or, just to thaw and throw on a salad. While this post is all about Quinoa Balls, and not so much how to cook chicken in an Instant Pot – there are several ways. I prefer the slow-cooking function, and really don’t use an official recipe – just about ½ cup of chicken broth, and 1 tablespoon of my favorite freeze-dried herb poultry seasoning per every 1 pound of boneless, skinless chicken breast. I just throw it all in there and let it cook low and slow for 8 hours before shredding up.

The rest of the air fryer chicken quinoa meal recipe is a snap. First, cook quinoa according to package directions (takes about 15 minutes) and let cool down to room temperature – another 10 to 15 minutes (faster if you spread out on a baking sheet). You can also use pre-cooked, frozen and defrosted quinoa – check out this quinoa meal prep post .

The it’s just a matter of mixing the seasonings into the softened cream cheese, followed by the shredded chicken and quinoa (btw, I used tri-color quinoa, but any type will do).

Rolling Chicken Alfredo Quinoa Balls in panko.

Next grab a handful of the mixture, and roll into golf ball-sized portions, making about a dozen. Then roll each ball in panko bread crumbs (or if needed gluten free bread crumbs) until nice and coated, no longer sticky to picky up.

- The Instant Pot Duo Crisp (that's also an air fryer) is the perfect appliance to make this simple recipe even more quick and convenient. — Love the convenience of this “shelf” that can be added to Air Fryer basket to
double the cooking capacity!

Stick in the Air Fryer basked of the Instant Pot® Duo Crisp™+ Air Fryer, layering half on the bottom of the basket and using the metal, circular insert to make a shelf to hold the remaining half-dozen. Air fry on 400F degrees for approximately 8 to 10 minutes. They will be done when crunchy and golden brown on the outside, and heated through and a bit, soft and gooey on the inside.

Serving suggestion: Make a creamy tomato sauce by mixing in a splash of heavy cream into warmed tomato pasta sauce. Place three Chicken Alfredo Quinoa Balls in the center and garnish with fresh basil.

Also, don’t forget to check out the Instant Pot® Duo Crisp™ + Air Frye r, an 11-in-1 pressure cooker, slow cooker, steamer, sauté pan, food warmer, sous vide, air fryer, roaster, mini oven, broiler, and dehydrator. It comes with two lids so you can instantly transform it into an Air Fryer with proprietary air flow technology that gives the crunch and tenderness of deep-frying with 95% less oil! Plus, I personally LOVE having just ONE countertop appliance that does it all, instead of a whole closet full! Stay tuned for more Instant Pot Duo Crisp recipes from The Fit Fork!

By the way, this recipe is my own, but was inspired by The Complete Quinoa Cookbook by Catherine Gill, that was recently sent to me by the publisher. Check it out, fabulous stuff in there.

This post contains affiliate links. I earn a small commission on products purchased, however price to you remains the same. Proceeds are used to offset operation expense for The Fit Fork. Thank you!

4.8 from 5 votes

Air Fryer Chicken Alfredo Quinoa Balls

Prep Time

15 mins

Cook Time

10 mins

Total Time

25 mins

Chicken Alfredo Quinoa Balls are inspired by one of my favorite indulgent Italian meals, creamy Chicken Alfredo and hot, crispy Arancini (those delicious little balls of deep-fried rice or risotto) – but made more nutritious. So quick and simple to make, and definitely kid-friendly, these delicious morsels can be served as an appetizer or served on sauce as a meal. Visit thefitfork.com for more Instant Pot and Air Fryer recipes with great nutrition to fuel a busy and active lifestyle. — The Instant Pot Duo Crisp (that's also an air fryer) is the perfect appliance to make this simple recipe even more quick and convenient.

Course: Appetizer, dinner, dinner, entree

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: air fryer, alfredo, chicken, quinoa

Ingredients

8 ounces Neufchatel cheese
1 ½ cups COOKED quinoa
8 ounces shredded chicken breast already cooked
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup panko
1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley if desired
Optional: pasta sauce for serving.

Instructions

Cook quinoa and chicken breast beforehand, if needed.
Soften Neufchatel cheese and stir in garlic power, onion powder, ground black pepper and salt.
Next stir in cooked quinoa and shredded chicken until mixed thoroughly into the cheese.
Use hands to form golf ball-sized balls (about ¼ cup) of mixture, before rolling each into panko crumbs, patting crumbs on to create a thick coating.
Should make about 12 balls.
Set Air Fryer to 400F degrees and set 6 balls on bottom of basket, and 6 balls on top of tray or 2nd tier metal insert. Or, if smaller capacity air fryer, then do in two batches.
Air fry for 8 – 10 minutes or until turning golden grown and heated well throughout.
Serve as appetizer, or set three in a bowl of pasta sauce for a meal.

Recipe Notes

Nutrition for THREE balls: