Sarah Wally: Hi! I'm Sarah Wally, a registered dietitian with the Association for Dressing & Sauces. Today I'm going to teach you how to make a delicious Quinoa Salad with apples and almonds.

Now quinoa is what lost of registered dietitians call a super food. It's rich in fiber and a great source of high quality protein. Quinoa is a grain-like seed that has a fluffy texture and a really nutty flavor.

Now the nutritional value of your salad is going to depend on what ingredients you choose, so this specific vitamins and minerals, the phytonutrients and the amount of fiber that your salad provides is really going to vary from recipe-to-recipe.

So to get started today we're going to start with one cup dry Quinoa, a quarter of a cup of sliced almonds, two cups of spinach leaves, one cup Granny Smith apples chopped, one cucumber peeled, seeded and diced, 115 ounce can of chickpeas rinsed and drained, and a quarter of a cup of poppy seed dressing.

So to get started today we're going to take two cups of water and bring that to a boil and once that's boiling to that we're going to add one cup of dry quinoa and we're going to stir that up, we're going to cover it and then we're going to reduce the heat to a low-medium hit and let that simmer for about 12 minutes.

So after about 12 minutes you're going to want to check on your quinoa and make sure that all the water has absorbed. Then you're going to lightly fluff the quinoa, remove it from the heat and let it set covered for about 15 more minutes.

Now next we're going to take a dry saut pan that we have on a medium blow heat, and to that we're going to add a quarter of a cup of sliced almonds and you're going to want to simmer these on that medium low heat until they are a nice golden brown and we're going stir these occasionally to make sure that they don't burn.

Now most Americans are not meeting their daily fiber goals and they are really missing out on all of the health benefits that fiber provides. In fact the 2010 dietary guidelines for Americans shows that fiber intake is linked to a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes, of obesity, and of heart disease. So loading your salads with fiber-rich fruits and veggies is really an easy and delicious way to add lots of dietary fiber.

So next we have our two cups of spinach and what you're going to want to do is take about 10 to 15 spinach leaves and we're going to stack those on top of each other on a cutting board. Then we're going to take that stack and roll it into a nice tube and then we're going to slice that lengthwise to create long thin pieces of spinach.

Now continue to do that for all two cups of spinach and we're going to put this aside and add that to the quinoa. And now we have our golden quinoa that's light and fluffy after having set for about 15 minutes. Into that we're going to add all of other ingredients. So first we have our spinach, we have our beautiful sliced Granny Smith apples, we have our cucumber, our chickpeas which have been rinsed and drained, and our toasted almonds. We're going to give this just a quick mix and now we're going to add our salad dressing.

Now the nutritional value of your salad can actually be increased by adding salad dressing, the healthy oils that are found in many dressings actually help your body to better absorb key nutrients like some of the important antioxidants that are found in fruits and vegetables.

So you're just going to want to stir this and make sure that everything is mixed really well together and then we're going to cover it and let it sit in the fridge for about 30 minutes to make sure that all of the flavors develop.

Now after about 30 minutes when your salad has chilled you're ready to plate it up and serve it. Eating a salad a day with your favorite salad dressing is a really great way to add valuable nutrients to your diet, nutrients that promote good health and may help ward off disease. So for more creative salad recipes visit saladaday.

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