Warm Quinoa Salad with Pears, Pecans and Raisins
By: Roni | Posted in: 6 WWP, 8 WWPP, Lunch Ideas, Side Dish Ideas, Vegetarian Ideas | 23 Comments
I love pears! Seriously, I can’t get enough of them right now. I have a ton that are at the peak of ripeness. I don’t want them to go to waste so I ate one with breakfast and then experimented with this for lunch. I must say… A-mazing!
If you are new to Quinoa, have no fear I was too a few years ago. Click here to read my food find post about. Now I keep it in my pantry to whip up quick dishes for myself all the time as I haven’t completely sold the husband and child on it YET! Click here to see some other quinoa ideas.
Today I used red because that’s what I had. White would work fine too but I have to admit the red is so pretty.
The result was honestly, unexpectedly tasty! I didn’t go overboard on the pecans or raisins so when you got one in a bite it was a fun surpise. The quinoa texture with the soft pear was amazing and the spice just brought it all togther. Here’s what I did… 
- 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp allspice
- Pinch of kosher salt
- 1 large ripe pear cubed
- 1/2 oz pecans chopped (14g)
- 1/2 oz raisins (14g)
- quirt of lemon juice (approx 1/2 tsp)
In a small sauce pan add the quinoa, water, cinnamon, allspice and salt. Bring to a boil over high heat then lower to a simmer and cover. Cook for about 12-15 minutes until all the water is absorbed.
While the quinoa is cooking chop the pear, pecans and raisins. Add them to a bowl with a quirt of lemon juice.
Once the quinoa is done, pour over the pears/peacan/raisin mixture. Warm from the stove it will begin to melt the pears and plump up the raisins.
Stir and serve!
Now, I’m counting 1/2 the recipe as a serving (based on quinoa box of what a serving size is) but I have to admit, I kept eating and eating and eating. It was SO good I almost polished it off!
Update: I polished it off.
| Servings | Amt per Serving | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 1/2 the recipe | |||
| Calories | Fat | Fiber | WWPs | |
| 295 | 8g | 8g | old: 6 | new: 8 |
| Sugar | Sat Fat | Carbs | Protein | |
| 16g | 1g | 52g | 7g | |
Note: this seems aufully high in points. If someone wants to double check I’d appreciate it! I just think I’m not use to the new plan yet.
Other ideas you may enjoy... |
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Roni, wow that sounds great! Yeah the points are correct…they are really dinging us for carbs…and that 52 grams is what takes the points up so high! If it was around 26 grams of carbs the points would be 5 with everything else the same!
I just printed this…. i had a similar version @ Wegmanns and loved it! I already have the quinoa!!! THANKS
I got 7 new WW points per serving (at 2 servings for the recipe) when I plugged it into my e-tools. If you eat the whole thing, it’s 15 points.
Natalia – That’s what I figured but it’s “quinoa carbs” not “white bread carbs”. I think there will always be some fatal flaws of points no matter how they calculate them. Even weight watchers seems to have quinoa point issues. The conversation on this recipe was interesting… http://www.weightwatchers.com/food/rcp/index.aspx?recipeId=146341&tab=2&sort=2
Becky – Really? and here I thought I was being all ingenious! lol
Roni, I know I get so frustrated that they aren’t considering the type of carbs! Quinoa isn’t the same carb as the sugar I put in my coffee…
Leanne, I did it on my hand held points calculator for 1/2 I got 8 and for whole 15…
Roni,Love your recipes. Needed a lunch idea and I am making this right now.Thanks!
THey serve it @ their salad bar so it’s cold and they use golden raisins. Instead of pecans they use sunflower seeds. I even tried finding something similar online… nothing. Yours sounds so good. I am a chicken and never jsut try and experiment on my own…. i am searching thru many of your lunch ideas now and printing away… so tired of diet box frozen lunches! THANKS!!
I wonder if red quinoa and white have the same nutritional value? I would think red would at least have more fiber…
Roni, I’m with you on the pears, but I am a Bosc pear lover. They are crisp like a good apple when ripe and sweet. Yum!
You got me thinking about quinoa now and i’m thinking some quinoa taboule might be in order with a side of hummus and flatbread…. and maybe a bosc pear for dessert! I love how reading about what other people are doing with food helps me be more creative about cooking. One idea leads to another…and another…
By the way, this being pear season and all, pear onion jam rocks. I puree an onion and a pear in the food processor then cook it on the stove with a little olive oil, salt and a bit of rice vinegar. Add a little sweetness in one form or another if needed (honey, agave, maple syrup, splenda, stevia, brown sugar…) and a shot of dry sherry. Then cook it until it’s perfect. I use it with meats and cheeses or just on toast. Also works with apple instead of pear.
It came out to 7 points per serving in my Recipe Builder on the WW site. Quinoa is 8, Raisins are 1, and pecans are 3…which by their math adds up to 15.
“Points Values in the Recipe Builder may come out differently than what you expected. That’s probably because the PointsPlus plan uses a different method for recipes. The nutrition information per serving for the entire recipe is calculated and then the PointsPlus value is applied.”
1. Yum.
2. I’ve tried quinoa in the past. Hubby was not too impressed. I’m thinking I need to try it again. We make a couscous with diced ham, wilted spinach and a little bit of shredded cheddar cheese. I think quinoa would be a great substitution.
3. This may be a breakfast for me next week.
Yum! I love red quinoa. It’s so pretty!
I love quinoa! WW has a great quinoa side in the new Points Plus cookbook with shiitake mushrooms and lemon! I made it last night, and it was so delicious!!!
I love love love red quinoa!!!! You go girl with the superfoods! Way to rock it!
Thank goodness! I tried the white quinoa plain and it did not fly at my house. Will try this for sure! :)
That is delicious.I haven’t tried red quinoa, but it does look wonderful.
YUM! I could eat that for breakfast.
I love quinoa and I count it more toward protein than as a carb. That said, I’m not doing WW so no comment on calories or points. I make an awesome quinoa/lentil/veggie mix that my husband can’t get enough of. I’ll have to try this though.
For everyone who’s tried quinoa and didn’t like it, try making it in a stock or seasoned water. It can be very bland done in plain water!
This is the kind of lunch I love!
Looks yummy!
I get 6 pointsplus – all I put in the recipe builder is 1/2c uncooked quinoa, 1/2oz pecans and 1/2oz raisins. 2 servings.
If you put in the pear it bumps it up to 9P+ per serving b/c the recipe builder doesn’t know how to ignore the nutritional info for “free” foods like fruit. So, you can just leave them out of the recipe for calculating the P+ (b/c fruits and most veggies are free on the new plan).
Hope that helps!
I would have written earlier, but I was busy making this and doing some serious chowing down! I absolutely love it! My husband thinks it would make an excellent breakfast food. I had to make some substitutions due to lack of grocery shopping, so I chopped some almonds and used golden raisins. The raisins are nice and sweet and I think moister than their darker counterpart. Another homerun Roni :).
This salad is *AMAZING*! I served it over a bed of spinach and added a touch of goat cheese on top. Deeee-lish!! Thanks for sharing! :-)