Cranberry and Cilantro Quinoa Salad on Christmas Day

How was your holiday? Did you enjoy family time and good food? I know I sure did! Here is a brief recap;

Christmas Eve at Nick's mom's house

Nick, freaking out over his fantasy football scores (literally the entire Christmas Eve day)




The best Christmas tree ornaments, EVER!

And the prize for the most content and relaxed dog of the year goes to....the Japanese Shin; SAKE (as in the Japanese alcoholic beverage)

And our family must really think (ahem, know) we love beer, because they bought us a beer Christmas ornament, AND......




A beer-making kit with all the ingredients to make a couple special brews!!

Yesterday, Christmas day, we went to my aunt and uncle's house. Because my aunt, uncle, and cousin are all gluten free, and I try to limit my intake of wheat and gluten, I try to bring gluten-free recipes to most family gatherings. This year I brought a winter cilantro and cranberry quinoa salad (as well as some very non-gluten-free pepperoni bread for my family members who just love gluten!). The quinoa recipe was found on my favorite recipe website; Allrecipes.com. I made a couple modifications based on what I had in my kitchen.

Cranberry and Cilantro Quinoa Salad

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
• 1/4 cup red bell pepper, chopped (I used all green pepper)
  
• 1/4 cup yellow bell pepper, chopped ( I used all green pepper)
  
• 1 small red onion, finely chopped
• 1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1/4 cup toasted sliced almonds (I used toasted walnuts)
  
• 1/2 cup minced carrots
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• salt and ground black pepper to taste

Directions

1. Pour the water into a saucepan, and cover with a lid. Bring to a boil over high heat, then pour in the quinoa, recover, and continue to simmer over low heat until the water has been absorbed, 15 to 20 minutes. Scrape into a mixing bowl, and chill in the refrigerator until cold.
2. Once cold, stir in the green bell pepper, red onion, curry powder, cilantro, lime juice, sliced walnuts, carrots, and cranberries. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Chill before serving.

It was delicious. I'll definitely be making it again.

For dessert on Christmas day I had some buckeyes and my favorite festive dessert; rocky road fudge! My aunt wants to make these buckeyes for our wedding. I had to taste two of them to make sure they were good enough for the special occasion ;)

Have a great week everyone. I'll be back Wednesday with a great appetizer idea for the New Year, and then Friday with another "Make This Your New Year's Resolution" post.