Everyone loves layered salads – pretty presentations for a potluck, party, or dinner. We enjoy them too. But most are loaded with calories and fat! Once you whip this recipe up, you’ll find a new favorite for your family and friends. Filled with the flavors of fall, apples and squash, with a dressing full of flavor from apple cider vinegar and tasty allspice. Because it’s made with quinoa, you can serve it as a main course – or a side.

Did you know that Allspice is not a combo of spices, but just one? Smelling like cloves, ginger and nutmeg and cinnamon, it looks very similar to black pepper. You can use allspice one for one as a substitute for any of these spices. Because of its eugenol content, (a powerful phenylproniod), allspice has attributes similar to cloves. It’s also a popular home remedy for arthritis and sore muscles, used as a poultice or in a hot bath.

Seven Layer Quinoa Apple Salad

• 1 ½ Cups Quinoa, Prepared as Package directs, divided
• Apple Cider Dressing*
• 1 Cup Chopped Green Apple, skin on
• 1 Cup Chopped Red Apple, skin on
• 2 Cups Chopped Roasted Butternut Squash
• 1 Cup Chopped Dried Apricots or Cranberries
• ½ Cup Crumbled Blue Cheese
• ½ Cup Chopped Toasted Almonds
• 3 Thinly Sliced Green Onions for Garnish

Step One Toss the Quinoa with ½ of the dressing. Toss the chopped green apples in a bowl 1 TB of the dressing. In another bowl, toss the chopped red apples with 1 TB of the Dressing.

Step Two Layer the ingredients in a trifle bowl, starting with ½ of the prepared quinoa and then add the squash, green apple and apricots or quinoa. Layer the remaining quinoa then the red apple, blue cheese and almonds. Garnish with the sliced green onions.

*Apple Cider Dressing:

• 1/3 Cup Apple Cider
• 3 TB Apple Cider Vinegar
• 3 TB Olive Oil
• 1 Tsp Dijon Mustard
• 1 Tsp Allspice
• 1 Tsp Honey
• 1/4 tsp Sea Salt

Whisk together the ingredients.