Ingredients

• Ingredients Scale 1x2x3x 1 cup quinoa (I used tri-color) 1 3/4 cup water 1 lemon, juice of 2 large apples, cored and diced (1 green + 1 red, or 2 same color) 1 1/2 cups grapes, sliced in half 1 celery rib, thinly sliced 1/4 cup raisins (or cranberries) 1/4 cup almonds (slivered or chopped) a few large mint leaves, julienned 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, or to taste salt & pepper, to taste Sweet Tahini Dressing 1/4 cup tahini 3 tablespoons water 1 – 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup 1/2 teaspoon cider vinegar, or to taste (optional)

Preparation

• Instructions Quinoa: Rinse your quinoa in a fine mesh sieve. In a medium size pot, add water and quinoa, bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove cover and let set 15 minutes, fluff with a fork. Dressing: While quinoa is cooking, prepare your dressing by combining ingredients in a small bowl. Mix well and set aside to let the flavors relax into each other. Add more water, 1 teaspoon at a time, to thin as needed. To thicken add more tahini. It should be thin enough to drizzle. Dressing serves four. Salad: Core and dice apples, top with lemon juice and toss gently (I did this right on the cutting board to not dirty up another bowl). Prepare the remaining ingredients. Add the apples, grapes, celery, raisins, almonds, mint leaves and cinnamon to the quinoa, mix well. Taste for flavor adding more cinnamon if you like. Spoon into serving dishes and serve with a good drizzle of the sweet tahini dressing. Serves 4 – 6