Description
A light and refreshing salad featuring juicy strawberries, fluffy quinoa, creamy avocado, and crunchy pecan brittle, perfect for warm days.
Ingredients
Salad Base
- 1 cup quinoa (White, red, or tri-color quinoa)
- 2 cups baby spinach or arugula (Your choice of greens)
- 1 cup strawberries (Ripe, sweet, and sliced)
- 1 medium avocado (For creaminess)
- 0.5 medium cucumber (For a cool crunch)
- 0.25 medium red onion (Thinly sliced, to taste)
- 0.5 cup fresh herbs (Mint or basil, chopped)
- 0.5 cup pecan brittle (Crunchy topping)
Dressing
- 2 tbsp lime juice (Freshly squeezed)
- 1 tbsp honey or maple syrup (To sweeten the dressing)
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard (For tanginess)
- 1 small jalapeño (Finely minced or blended)
- 1 clove garlic (Finely minced)
- 0.33 cup olive oil (For richness)
- 1 pinch salt (To taste)
Instructions
Prep
- Rinse quinoa under cold water to remove bitterness.
- Cook quinoa in water or broth according to package instructions.
- Once cooked, spread quinoa on a plate to cool.
- Slice strawberries right before serving.
- Cut avocado last to prevent browning.
Assemble Salad
- In a large bowl, add cooled quinoa.
- Toss in greens and cucumber.
- Add strawberries and red onion.
- Gently fold in avocado.
- Add fresh herbs and cheese if using.
- Top with pecan brittle just before serving.
Make Dressing
- In a jar, combine lime juice, honey or maple syrup, Dijon, jalapeño, garlic, and olive oil.
- Shake until well combined.
Serve
- Dress the salad just before serving, starting with half the dressing.
- Toss lightly and taste, adding more dressing if needed.
Notes
Store salad components separately for best freshness. Assemble right before serving. Great for meal prep lunches.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Lunch, Salad
- Cuisine: American, Healthy