Kaniwa Pear Salad

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Suncore Foods. The opinions and text are all mine. The Suncore product mentioned in this post was sent to me as a gift to use in this recipe, thank you so much! 

I think salads are just one of those things I’m good at creating. Maybe because I love them so much, and they are so versitile! They always turn out to be just what I needed when I’m feeling a little blah. And homemade dressings are also my jam (sometimes using jam!). Perhaps my new favorite ingredient to add to salads is some kind of high-protein grain or seed to really hardy it up and make it a more complete, filling meal. In this Kaniwa Pear Salad I added, you guessed it, kaniwa! Don’t worry, I’ll explain, because I’ve never heard of it before Suncore Foods introduced me to it either.

Before we dive into my new favorite “royal food”, let’s take a peek at the super salad ingredients I chose to pair with kaniwa in this nutritious salad:

☆ Rainbow Kaniwa Seeds from Suncore Foods
☆ pear
☆ a mix of arugula, lettuce, and spinach
☆ broccoli
☆ candied pecans
☆ homemade creamy avocado vinegarette
☆ vegan parmesan cheese

So much yum!

So now that I have your undivided attention, let’s chat about kaniwa. Other than the fact it’s super fun to say, kaniwa was treasured so much by the ancient Incas and Aztecs, it was referred to as “royal food” served exclusively to the emperor and his royal court. Today, we prize kaniwa for its high protein, fiber, iron, calcium, and antioxidants. Kaniwa has a slightly sweet and nutty flavor similar to quinoa and is perfect in this Kaniwa Pear Salad.

The pear and candied pecans add the perfect sweetness, the kaniwa adds the perfect nutty flavor and the avocado dressing finishes off this salad with dreamy creaminess. This Kaniwa Pear Salad is a great winter salad because of its hardiness, but can also make a refreshing salad in the summer too.

Head on over to Suncore Foods to get the full experience of this “royal food” and don’t forget to tag me in your re-creations on Instagram and Facebook!

** Kaniwa information provided by Suncore Foods

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Kaniwa Pear Salad

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

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Ingredients

• 1/2 cup dried kaniwa seeds + 1 cup water, (Kaniwa is from Suncore Foods)
• 2 cups arugula
• 1 cup green leaf lettuce
• 1 cup spinach
• 2 cups chopped broccoli florets
• 2 pears, diced/sliced
• candied pecans, (see below)
• vegan parmesan cheese
• avocado vinaigrette, (see below)

Candied Pecans

• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 3 tbsp sugar

Avocado Vinaigrette

• 1 avocado
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 3/4 cup grapeseed oil
• 1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
• pinch salt & pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Make your kaniwa according to package directions. I boiled 1 cup of water with 1/2 cup of kaniwa seeds
2. Make your candied pecans by melting the sugar in a small skillet over medium heat. Once the sugar is melted, remove from heat and add the chopped pecans and stirring to coat them with the melted sugar. Place the pecan clusters on a plate to cool
3. Add your arugula, lettuce, and spinach to a large bowl, along with the chopped broccoli, diced pear, kaniwa and pecan cluster. Toss to combine
4. Make your avocado vinaigrette by blending all dressing ingredients together until smooth
5. You can either toss the salad with the dressing or serve the dressing on the side. Top with vegan parmesan cheese

Notes

** avocado vinaigrette adapted slightly from Wholefully

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