This salad is my new obsession.
The first time I had this delicious concoction was at a friend’s house and I instantly feel in love! So I naturally went home and scowered the internet for the best version of this recipe. I came up with a simple, lemony salad that is so fresh and light tasting, that is just perfect for summertime! And because quinoa is high in protein (8g/1cup), it is a great choice for a quick, filling meatless meal!
I hope you enjoy it!
First make 1 cup(dried) quinoa. (Directions in on package and in picture ↑) and Allow to cook. If I am in a hurry I will actually make it and then spread on a shallow dish and toss in the freezer for about 30minutes and it should be cool enough to use.
Make a simple Lemon vinaigrette with lemon juice, olive oil, honey, ground mustard, and salt and pepper.
Gather up your salad ingredients 1lb of strawberries (quartered), and 1 small red bell pepper (about 1 cup) diced, 1/2-1cup cashews, 3-4cups of baby spinach and 1/4-1/2cup of feta cheese and 2 Tbsp of fresh Rosemary chopped.
As you can see, my once large pile of strawberries has dwindled a bit, my guess is some small critters were sneaking a few while I wasn’t looking…
Next Mix the dressing, quinoa , red peppers, strawberries and rosemary together in a small bowl.
You can go ahead and toss this with the spinach at this time, but only do this if you plan on eating it all, because the spinach gets a will wilty from the acids in the strawberries and the lemon it they sit for a long time together (I am talking overnight, it’s fine if you are bringing this for lunch or something!
Yum!
F
Finally, I toss the quinoa and strawberry mixture with the baby spinach. Top with feta cheese (or cheese of your choice) and cashews (adds a great flavor and crunch, don’t leave off! Well, unless you have a nut allergy then feel free to leave off 😉 )
Enjoy!
- Dressing:
- Juice of 1 lemon or 3Tbsp Lemon juice (fresh is best, but can use bottled)
- 2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 tsp Honey
- ½ tsp ground musturd
- Pinch Sea Salt
- Fresh Ground Pepper
- For Salad
- 1-2cups cooked Quinoa (see picture in post)
- 1lb strawberries quartered
- 1 cup red bell pepper (1/2 large red bell pepper or 1 small)
- 2 TBsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped
- ~1/4-1/2cup Cashews
- ¼- 1/2cup Feta cheese
- 3-4cups of fresh baby spinach
- Combine cooked and cooled quinoa with strawberries, bell pepper, rosemary and dressing.
- Individual bowls toss with mixture with baby spinach and topp with feta and cashews as desired.
- Enjoy!
