If you want to combine healthy with festive, then this Tri-Color Quinoa with walnuts and cranberries is the perfect side dish! Great for Thanksgiving and Christmas!
Lately, I’ve been learning more about vegan nutrition. Actually, I’m learning to become a certified vegan nutritionist! And during this studying, quinoa is often mentioned as a great source of carbohydrates (the body’s fuel!), manganese, fiber, folate, among many other nutrients. This is why I’m trying to use quinoa in my cooking more often from now on.
Lo and behold, the first quinoa recipe on Elephantastic Vegan! Woop woop!
And to make it even more suitable for the festive season, I’ve added walnuts and cranberries to the mix. The walnuts add a lovely crunch and the cranberries give the whole dish a subtle sweetness, I love the combo and I’m sure you will too!
What is Tri-Color Quinoa?
Tri-Color Quinoa (also called Rainbow Quinoa) is a mix of the regular white, black, and red quinoa. The black and red quinoa adds a nutty flavor and crunchy texture.
How to make Quinoa with walnuts and cranberries
The ingredients
You will need:
- quinoa – I’m using Tri-Color Quinoa
- water
- salt
- oil
- walnuts
- dried cranberries
The basic steps
Step 1: We’re making quinoa in the instant pot. Add quinoa and water in the ratio of 1:1. Use the manual setting with high pressure for 1 min. Let the steam release naturally.
Step 2: Woho! Fluffy quinoa in the instant pot!
Step 3: Toast walnuts and cranberries in the pan.
Step 4: Add the quinoa to the pan. Add salt. Stir. Taste. Adjust if necessary! Enjoy!
Serve the quinoa with…
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I hope you’ll enjoy this quinoa side dish as much as I do! Let me know if you give this recipe a try! I’d love to hear how it turns out for you.
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Cheers, Bianca
Tri-Color Quinoa with walnuts and cranberries
Ingredients
Instant Pot Quinoa
- 1 cup tri-color quinoa
- 1 cup water
Mix-Ins
- 1 teaspoon canola oil
- 1/2 cup walnuts roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In the instant pot, add the quinoa and water. Use the manual setting, pressure: high, cook time: 1 minute. Use the natural release (not quick release).
- In a large pan over medium to high heat, add the canola oil, then add the walnuts and cranberries. Give them a stir. Let them cook for 1-2 minutes until toasty. Then add the quinoa and salt. Give it a good stir. Add more salt to taste if necessary.
- It's ready to serve! Enjoy!
Elena
I like quinoa and this recipe sound delicious but
I don’t eat sugar these days and I cannot find unsweetened dried cranberries here; do you think I can substitute cranberries with an unsweetened dried fruit, such as rasins, dates, apricots or prunes? Even if the taste won’t be the same…
All the best 😊
Bianca
absolutely! I personally would sub them with raisins or dates – but I bet all combinations are good! :)