Quinoa Pilaf with Dried Fruit

We love this recipe for a Quinoa Pilaf with Dried Fruit. A perfect side dish or have it cold as a salad…great for lunch! Easily adaptable to your personal taste which just adds to the glory of this recipe!

I don’t remember where I first found this recipe. I have mailboxes on my phone where I save recipes. I was looking for a side dish the other night & I found this recipe. It is delish! I made several changes to the original recipe

This Quinoa Pilaf with Dried Fruit is vegan which is great for everyone!

Add any type of dried fruit you like, Whatever you have in the pantry will work! Dried cranberries currants, chopped up dates, dried blueberries, the choices are up to you. You can also add any nut that you prefer if you do not want to add almonds.

I like to use my chopper for the onions & carrots in this dish so they are all the same size. Here is the one I use with a link to it on Amazon ( this is an affiliate link)

Quinoa Pilaf with Dried Fruits

Ingredients

2 cups quinoa, rinsed

3 cups boiling water

4 tbsp olive oil – divided

1 med to large onion, finely chopped

4 carrots, finely chopped

2 cups dried fruit, chopped if necessary

pinch of cinnamon

1 tbsp maple syrup

3 tbsp fresh lemon juice

2 tbsp kosher salt

1/4 cup slivered almonds, optional ( any nut of your choice)

Method

1. Put the quinoa into the boiling water. Stir,  Cover and reduce heat. Simmer until tender and the water has been absorbed.
2. While the quinoa is cooking, heat 2 tbsp of oil in a saucepan.
3. Add onions and carrots and cook until tender. Try not to brown the onions
4. Add the dried fruit, cinnamon, maple syrup, lemon juice and salt. Mix to combine and cook a bit longer. The dried fruit will soften up as it warms in the pan
5. In a large bowl, combine the cooked quinoa and the mixture from the saucepan. Add the remaining 2 tbsp olive oil, the lemon juice and the nuts.

Enjoy!

***This is good served warm as a side dish, room temperature or cold right from the fridge which is how I aml eating the leftovers!