Apple Quinoa Salad with Lemon, Curry and Mint

5 from 6 votes

1 cup quinoa, rinsed (I like white quinoa for this recipe but red tastes the same)
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot or red onion
1 teaspoon curry powder
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 apple, chopped (Fuji, Honey Crisp, Gala, and Stayman Winesap are all good choices)
1/4 cup raisins (I like golden in this recipe)
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint, plus more for garnish
1/3 cup feta cheese
3 tablespoons slivered almonds
2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds

Bring quinoa and 1 1/4 cups water to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for about 12 minutes or until water is absorbed. Fluff with fork.
Whisk together honey, shallot, curry powder, lemon juice, olive oil, and salt and pepper. Pour over quinoa and toss to coat.
Add apples, raisins, mint, feta cheese, almonds and pumpkin seeds and toss well.

If making early in the day, I will typically wait to add the almonds and pumpkin seeds until just before serving to ensure they remain crunchy. Also, sunflower seeds are a nice alternative to the pumpkin seeds.