Plum and Celery Salad
This is an unassuming, delicious little salad that I stumbled into when I was trying to use up a bunch of ingredients we had on hand and was shocked by how much I enjoyed it. Its just got a great cast of characters - the plums are juicy and tangy (they're the stars here so make sure you get some good ones), the celery is crunchy, and the quinoa and the nuts provide great texture and some heartiness.It's great as a side or a main and is a delightful way to use some of that stone fruit we're all stocking up on right now. Hope you enjoy!
Plum and Celery Salad
Serves 2-3Ingredients
- ½ cup dried quinoa (can substitute for other grains if you’d like)
- 1 cup water
- ¼ cup raw cashews, roughly chopped
- 4 cups packed arugula
- 3 stalks celery, chopped into small pieces
- 3 very ripe small plums, sliced thinly
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp honey
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
- 2 oz goat cheese, crumbled
Method
- Combine the quinoa and the water in a saucepan - you can rinse the quinoa first buttttt honestly I never do. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium high heat, and then decrease the heat to bring the quinoa to a gentle simmer. Cook until the quinoa has absorbed all of the water, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat, and let the quinoa rest for 5 minutes before fluffing.
- In a small pan, toast the cashews over very low heat, moving the pan around so that they don’t burn, until lightly browned (about 3-5 minutes). Set aside.
- In a small cup or jar, combine lemon juice, balsamic, olive oil, honey, salt and pepper. Mix or shake until blended and then set aside.
- In a large serving bowl, combine the arugula, chopped celery and plum slices. When the quinoa is somewhat cooled, add it to the serving bowl along with the dressing and toss to combine. Top with the toasted cashews and goat cheese, and season with more salt and pepper to taste. The salad tastes best served immediately at room temp!
