Fresh, Healthy Quinoa Salad with Pears and Pomegranate Arils
By Nancy Eisman
The start of a brand-new year is the perfect time to tap on the refresh button. Not exactly a resolution, but eating nutritious meals is one way to enhance and invigorate your life with achievable, realistic goals. Some easy and basic ways to embrace a healthier lifestyle include:
- Eat more fruits and vegetables.
- Cook more meals at home, trying a new recipe every week.
- Plan and prepare meals in advance, balancing nutrition and convenience.
- Promote overall well-being with more plant-based meals.
Salads really fit the bill to help you stay on a healthy track. They can be simple or complex – the possibilities are truly endless. Reach for a big bowl and fill it with a variety of seasonal ingredients whenever you’re craving something fresh, filling and flavorful.
January’s recipe is light and refreshing yet hearty and substantial at the same time. Bursting with flavors, colors, and textures, protein-rich quinoa is combined with crunchy hazelnuts, juicy, seasonal pears, shallots, carrots, pomegranate arils, and fresh green mint and cilantro. A simple and zesty dressing of extra virgin olive oil, seasoned rice vinegar, and honey mustard brings everything together.
While this salad is delicious as is, a generous sprinkle of plant-based crumbled blue cheese or shredded parmesan takes it up a few very tasty notches. And then, you’ll want to up the fiber factor by serving this salad on a bed of fresh arugula for added color and flavor.
The peeling and chopping will be well worth the effort because salads make you feel like you’re doing something good for yourself, and that’s exactly what you’ll be doing.
Wishing you all the best for a Healthy & Happy 2025 filled with plant-based goodness.
Quinoa Salad with Pears and Pomegranate Arils 
Ingredients
1 package organic red quinoa
2 organic Starkrimson pears, diced and drizzled with lemon juice
2/3 cup organic carrots, diced
½ cup shallots, diced
½ cup pomegranate arils
½ cup hazelnuts, chopped
1/3 cup fresh mint, chopped
1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
½ cup plant-based crumbled blue cheese or shredded parmesan
2 packages arugula
Dressing:
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup seasoned rice vinegar
2 tablespoons honey mustard
Salt & pepper to taste
Directions 
To make the dressing, whisk the oil, vinegar and mustard together. Season to taste with salt & pepper and set aside. 
Prepare the quinoa according to the package directions. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
In a large bowl, combine the pears, carrots, shallots, hazelnuts and pomegranate arils. 
Mix in the prepared quinoa and toss to combine. 
Pour in the dressing and stir everything together. 
Add in the crumbled blue cheese or parmesan. 
Mix in the mint and cilantro, then chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before serving on a bed of arugula.
