This recipe from Vegan Bowls by Zsu Dever is a spin on spinach salad with warm bacon dressing. This salad is filled with shaved fennel, perfectly cooked quinoa, and candied pecans. The warm orange-pecan dressing ties all the flavors together and delivers a delicious, filling salad.
Spinach Salad Bowl with Warm Pecan Dressing
Serves 4
Quinoa
- 1 cup quinoa, rinsed well
- 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Dressing
- 1 cup raw pecan pieces
- 5 tablespoons fresh orange juice, divided
- 2 teaspoons pure maple syrup, divided
- 3 tablespoons grapeseed oil
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon vegetable broth
Salad
- 8 cups coarsely chopped fresh spinach (about 2 bunches, tough stems removed)
- 1 cup shaved fennel (about 1 small bulb)
Preparation
Quinoa: Combine the quinoa, broth, garlic, and salt in a small saucepan. Cover, bring to boil over high heat, reduce to medium- low heat, and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside for 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork before serving.
Dressing: Toast the nuts in a small skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently, until golden, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer half of the nuts to a small blender. Add 2 tablespoons juice and 1 teaspoon maple syrup to the nuts in the skillet. Cook until the liquid evaporates, about 3 minutes. Transfer the glazed nuts to a parchment paper and set aside to cool. Add the remaining 3 tablespoons of juice, 1 teaspoon maple syrup, oil, vinegar, and broth to the blender. Blend until smooth. Season with salt and black pepper. When ready to serve, warm the dressing in the small skillet and add about half of the warm dressing to a large bowl.
Salad: Add the spinach and fennel and toss. To serve, divide the salad and quinoa among wide bowls and serve with the remaining dressing. Alternatively, toss the salad with the quinoa and serve with the remaining dressing.
Recipe from Vegan Bowls, copyright © 2015 by Zsu Dever. Used by permission from Vegan Heritage Press, LLC.
