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If you’ve followed me for any amount of time, you know that I LOVE SALADS and it’s my mission to create as many Halloween salads as humanly possible! Despite this Ceme-terrarium salad idea being on my idea board for about a year, I finally got to make these spooky cemetery themed salad terrariums! Inspired by the Beet and Quinoa Salad from the Smokehouse in Burbank, I made tombstone croutons and bleu cheese skulls to top a terrarium layered with candied walnuts, dried cherries, roasted beets, quinoa, green onions and chopped greens(I used Kale), served with a raspberry vinaigrette. This salad is so friggin delicious, it’s all I order when I go to the Smokehouse. My husband gives me so much grief for ordering a salad at a steakhouse, but I don’t care. It is so good! Hope you enjoy it as much as I do, but feel free to use your favorite ingredients and swap out the cheese if you’re not a fan of bleu cheese. 💀
(Note: I used regular walnuts in my photos, but this salad MUST be served with candied walnuts and I highly recommend making them if you can’t purchase them, I’ve included an incredibly delicious candied walnut recipe below.)
Cemeterrarium Salad
Equipment
- mini skull ice cube mold (Amazon affiliate link)
- tombstone cookie cutter (Amazon affiliate link)
Ingredients
- 2-3 cups quinoa, cooked (prepare according to package directions)
- 5 oz. bleu cheese (or feta cheese) (made into skulls)
- 4 slices wholegrain wheat bread
- 2 cups candied walnuts (see recipe below)
- 2 cups roasted beets, chopped
- 6 cups chopped greens (I used Kale)
- 2 cups dried cherries or cranberries
- 1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced
- fresh herbs, mini mushrooms, and edible flowers (garnish)
- bottled raspberry vinaigrette (to taste)
Instructions
- Cheese skulls: Press bleu cheese into skull mold and freeze for 1 hour. Unmold and keep refrigerated until ready to serve.
- Candied Walnuts: Preheat oven to 300°, line cookie sheet with parchment paper.Mix 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 2 tsp. cinnamon in a medium bowl and set aside. In a separate bowl, add 1 tsp vanilla extract to 1 egg white and toss in 2 cups walnuts and stir to coat. Use a slotted spoon to transfer egg coated walnuts into sugar mixture and coat well. Transfer sugar coated walnuts to lined cookie sheet in a single layer and bake for 20 minutes. Stir and bake 10 minutes more. Remove from oven and cool. (Store in lidded container for up to 2 weeks)
- Tombstone Croutons: Use a tombstone cookie cutter to cut out shapes from slices of wheat bread. Brush lightly with olive oil bake in a 350° oven until lightly toasted, ~10 minutes, turning half way.
- Assemble Cemeterrariums: Layer ingredients in glass bowls beginning with candied walnuts, dried cherries/cranberries, beets, quinoa, green onions, and greens. Add tombstone crouton, cheese skull, and then garnish with fresh herbs, mini mushrooms and edible flowers(optional). (I used some tiny purple flowers from my rosemary bush) Top with your favorite raspberry dressing and enjoy.
