Lets face it christmas dinner is all about the sides. I mean it’s about the turkey too, turkey is my jam. But in all my years of tried and tested turkey recipes, I’ve found the best way is just to roast it, nothing fancy, just do not let it dry out! Now back to the sides. Crispy roast potatoes are of course obligatory. Then there are the trimmings. Trimmings are an unspoken permitted list of veggies that you may include on your christmas dinner table. You may pick and choose but you may not add anything not on the list.
This year I am going to be spicing up my christmas dinner with this red cabbage quinoa side. It has all those christmas flavours with toasted walnuts, a hint of cinnamon and mandarin dressing. It doesn’t hurt that it looks pretty too. I actually make this salad all winter too, because it’s at it’s best when warmed up slightly, and who wants to eat cold salad in winter.
– Red Cabbage and Apple Quinoa –
serves 4 as a side salad
gluten free, vegetarian
what you’ll need….
1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup walnuts, toasted
1/4 of a red cabbage
1 apple
1/3 block of feta
dressing
3 tbsp olive oil
zest and juice of 1/2 orange
1/2 tsp mustard
1 tsp cinnamon
salt & pepper
Quinoa: In a saucepan bring the quinoa, water and cinnamon to a boil. Reduce to a low heat and leave for 20mins until it has soaked up all the water.
Toasted walnuts: Put under a grill on a baking tray at 180C for 5-10mins. Watch closely as they can burn quickly. Chop into fairly large pieces.
Slice the cabbage into thin slices. Cut the apple and feta into small chunks. Mix all the dressing ingredients together. Add all together with the quinoa, top with walnuts.
You can eat this cold, but I like it best when heated up a little.
To impresss: top with pomegranate seeds
