Salads make for a great meal especially during the hot Summer days. They are easy to prepare, healthy and can be very versatile. You can add a variety of ingredients in your salad, depending on the current fresh produce and what is available in your fridge/pantry.
The quinoa spinach salad has recently become one of my favourite salads. Besides the fact that quinoa is low in calories and low in fat, this salad nicely balances saltiness and sweetness together and is quite refreshing during these hot days.
Since this type of salad is more robust than a leafy salad and can be prepared in advance, it is great for work lunches and picnics. It is also great as a starter or as a side with meat dishes particularly during barbecues.
Ingredients: (for 2 servings)
- 150g quinoa
- Bunch of fresh spinach
- 1 can of chick peas
- 50g dried cranberries
- 10 cherry tomatoes
- 1 red pepper
- 2 spring onions
For the dressing:
- 1tbsp honey
- 2tbsp olive oil
- 2tbsp lemon juice
- lemon zest
- 3tbsp carob syrup
- 1tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1tbsp dijon mustard
- Salt & pepper
Method:
- Cook the quinoa according to packet instructions. Set it aside to cool.
- Blanche the spinach and cool it with cold water to prevent it from wilting too much.
- Chop the spring onions and finely chop the pepper. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half. You can also use plum tomatoes and chop them into small cubes.
- In a small glass jar, mix all the dressing ingredients together and shake them well to ensure that the honey and salt has dissolved completely.
- Mix all of the salad ingredients together. When you are ready to serve, pour the dressing over the salad and mix well.
I am seeing so many quinoa recipes lately, love this recipe. I love the sweet and savory balance in this dish (:
Thank you! 🙂