Bratwurst and Quinoa Salad

Have you ever had an idea that made you go “how the heck did I come up with that?”. Today’s lunch

was a little like that. I was trying to find a way to send cold, leftover bratwurst in my husband’s lunch. See, cold bratwurst does not really sound that appetizing to me. My husband is often less picky than I am but I still don’t like sending him things that I wouldn’t want to eat.

Bratwursts are a summer-time favorite at our house. My three-year-old can easily eat a whole one on her own and her little brother is not far behind. Back in August, our local grocery store had a “Legendary Meat Sale” (can you imagine my excitement?!?). At said sale, I bought 10 pounds of their house-made brats. I stored them in freezer in packages of 8 brats each. The grill is the best way to heat brats, in my opinion. But yesterday was the first day in a week that the temperature outside was in the double digits… Not exactly grilling weather. The next best method I have found is to boil them in beer, onions and water first (which I would do before grilling too) and then pop them in the oven at 400°F to brown. Brats, canned baked beans, and sliced tomatoes and cucumbers – dinner time hit! But I still had 5 cooked brats leftover.

My first solution was Beer Brat Soup. Still sounds delicious but I would have made it with a creamy, cheesy base and I’m just not convinced that would have held up in a thermos. Not to mention that I really don’t want to clean melted cheese out of a thermos the next day. Scratch that idea.

The next solution was a lettuce salad topped with bratwurst. When I started thinking about what kind of veggies I wanted to mix with bratwurst, I was really struggling. I could not think of anything to go with the brat but a bun, mustard, onions and sauerkraut. Oh, and beer, which would probably make my husband’s day until he was fired…

Time to head to the cupboards for inspiration. And here’s is where I lose track of how I came up with Bratwurst and Quinoa Salad. I know the quinoa was in the cupboard but how in the world I decided to mix it with bratwurst is a mystery. But, never-the-less, I cooked it up and went back to what I know I like with brats.

I like my brats best on a bun and loaded up with toppings like onions, mustard, ketchup, pickle relish, and, most of all, sauerkraut! Sauerkraut is how I came up with cabbage, after all, it is where sauerkraut comes from! Then I threw in red cabbage too, just for color! Mustard was a pretty obvious dressing base for me. For the added flavor and dimension, I chose spicy brown mustard and then I tried to look at it like a vinaigrette. Instead of chunks of onion that could be overpowering, I went with grated onion right in the vinaigrette. I replaced ketchup with good ol’ cherry tomatoes and decided pickle relish just wasn’t going to make the cut on this one.

Surprisingly enough, the train of thought did not end in a train wreck. I have never had anything that I can think to compare this to. It doesn’t taste anything like a brat on a bun but it does taste good! It is unique and interesting. I am a little addicted to quinoa but it gives a nice, filling base in this salad. There is good crunch in the cabbage, saltiness in the brats, freshness in the cherry tomatoes and complimenting flavor through the whole thing from the dressing. I’m calling it a success as it but I’m betting that grilled brats with good char on them will be even better!

Bratwurst and Quinoa Salad

Brown Mustard Vinaigrette

1/3 cup spicy brown mustard

1/4 cup olive oil

1 Tbs grated onion

1 tsp honey

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

Whisk all ingredients together.

For the salad

2 brats, cooked through and browned

1 cup shredded cabbage

1/3 cup shredded red cabbage

1/4 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered

1 cup dry quinoa, cooked per package instructions*

Prepare brown mustard vinaigrette in large bowl. To bowl, add cabbages and tomatoes; stir to coat.

Slice bratwurst length wise and then slice into bite-size pieces. Add to cabbage mixture stir.

Finally, add cooked and cooled quinoa to bowl and toss together. Serve at room temperature or cold.

*I used chicken broth as my cooking liquid for the quinoa.