Cherry, Chard & Hazelnut Grain Salad
This post is sponsored by Bob’s Red Mill. All opinions are my own.
I have my wonderful mom to thank for the inspiration for this simple recipe. Last summer she made a Farro salad with toasted hazelnuts, feta and cherries and it’s been on my mind ever since. Needless to say I couldn’t wait for cherry season to arrive here in Oregon and yesterday we got to celebrate the arrival of our favorite stone fruit by spending the afternoon cherry picking. This salad isn’t the same as my mom’s “famous” recipe as I didn’t have everything in my cupboard. However, I worked with what we had and I’m so happy to share this version with you all. We used Bob’s Red Mill tri-color quinoa instead of farro, blue cheese instead of feta, and rainbow chard instead of arugula. The result is amazing and I hope you all give this simple, seasonal salad a try for yourself. Happy cooking everyone!
Cheers from Tumbleweed Farm
Cherry, Chard & Hazelnut Grain Salad
Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 25 mintues Serves: 4
- 1 cup quinoa, rinsed (Bob's Red Mill)
- 2 cups water
- pinch of salt
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- hefty pinch of salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme or parsley
- 2 cups sweet cherries, pitted and halved
- 1/4 of a red onion, very thinly sliced
- 1 bunch of swiss chard, stems and center ribs cut out and chopped into a large dice. Stack the greens, roll them like a cigar and slice them into thin rounds, about 1/4 inch thick (should be about 2 cups of greens)
- ½ cup crumbled blue cheese
- ¼ cup chopped hazelnuts, toasted on the stove top for a few minutes
Preparation
- Combine quinoa, water and a hefty pinch of salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer, cover and cook until the tender, and most of the liquid has evaporated,m 12-15 minutes. Fluff with a fork and keep to the side.
- Meanwhile, whisk vinegar, oil, salt and pepper, and thyme in a very large bowl. Add cherries, red onion, chard leaves and stems, blue cheese crumbles, hazelnuts and the quinoa. Gently stir to combine.
- Season with additional salt and pepper and enjoy.
Notes
Sounds wonderful, I can’t wait to try it!
Ditto, Kristin! Sounds delicious!
Lucy from Concord MA
Loved spending the day together. Can’t wait to try your version❤️
Sounds divine, I´m gonna make this for dinner tonight!
Made this salad as a side for a 4th of July BBQ. OMG, the salad was the star of the evening. Oh, by the way, my bunch of chard was more like 4 cups, which was perfect. Thanks for another great recipe, Andrea!!