Punch up the flavors of your summertime meal with a dose of this Quinoa, Avocado & Blueberry Salad, finished off with feta cheese & a tangy lime vinaigrette. The perfect potluck salad! 121 calories and 4 Weight Watchers Freestyle SP
Quinoa, Avocado & Blueberry Salad Recipe
This Quinoa, Avocado and Blueberry Salad sparked a debate in our house this week. My kids are determined to nail me down on one particular question and I refuse to commit to an answer.
"Mum, what is your favorite summertime fruit?"
I try to answer...honestly I do. It has to be cherries...they're so good right now. But what about all of the other berries...blueberries, raspberries, strawberries? I don't want anyone to feel left out.
And don't even get me started on the melons. What's summertime without juicy watermelon or sweet cantaloupe?
Or peaches and nectarines.
The pressure is too much. I can't answer. I take the fifth.
And so I feel it is my fruit-loving responsibility to use each of them equally and without favoritism.
Blueberries in ice cream pies and yogurt parfaits.
Cherries in an easy sauce for lamb chops, peaches in baked pancakes and nectarines on appetizer crostini.
You get the picture.
With my amorous feelings for summertime fruit on full-throttle, I could think of nothing else when I set out to make this quinoa salad. Quinoa, feta cheese, avocados (another summertime fruit!)...and blueberries! Yes, sweet little blueberry morsels to offset the tangy lime dressing and salty feta. Perfect!
Tips for making this quinoa blueberry salad:
- Start by preparing the quinoa. If you are a weekend meal prep aficionado, making several batches of quinoa and freezing it in desired serving sizes is a great way to save time during the week. See How to Freeze Quinoa.
- If you are making the quinoa on the day of serving the quinoa avocado salad, leave some time for the quinoa to cool. First, rinse the quinoa to remove the natural, bitter tasting coating (saponin). Next, cook the quinoa according to the directions below. Fluff the quinoa, then transfer it to a large baking sheet, spreading it in a single layer to cool.
- Stir the avocado, fresh blueberries, green onions and feta cheese into the cooled quinoa.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the lime juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. The lime juice adds a fantastic note of "tang" to the salad. Plus, the acid of the lime juice prevents the avocado from browning right away, allowing you to make this salad a couple of hours ahead of time.
- If the salad isn't being served right away, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate, or store it in a airtight container in the refrigerator.
Other blueberry recipes:
Blueberry & Goat Cheese Crostini {Cookin' Canuck}
Blueberry Buckwheat Muffins {Cookin' Canuck}
Blueberry Banana Protein Smoothie {Amy's Healthy Baking}
Healthy Blueberry Crisp {Running in a Skirt}
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Quinoa, Blueberry & Avocado Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup blueberries
- 2 green onions thinly sliced
- ½ avocado diced
- 1 ½ ounces ¼ cup crumbled feta cheese
- 1 ½ tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoons agave nectar or honey
- ⅛ teaspoons salt
- ⅛ teaspoons ground pepper
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, combine the quinoa and water. Bring the water to a boil, reduce the heat to low and cover. Cook until all of the water is absorbed, 15 to 20 minutes. Fluff the quinoa with a fork.
- Transfer the cooked quinoa to a large baking sheet and spread it out evenly. Let it cool to room temperature.
- To the quinoa, add the blueberries, green onions, avocado and feta. Stir to combine.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the lime juice, olive oil, agave nectar, salt and pepper.
- Pour the dressing over the quinoa salad and stir to combine. Serve or refrigerate, covered, until ready to serve.
Notes
Nutrition
This was originally posted on July 7, 2014, and was updated on August 1, 2019.
Disclosure: I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
Caarole
Where does the agave go. I assume it is in the dressing with oil and lime juice.
Dara
Yes, thank you for catching that omission! It should be whisked with lime juice, olive, salt and pepper.
Vanessa @ VeganFamilyRecipes
This is such a brilliant recipe. My entire family can't ever stop eating blueberries and pairing it with avocado and quinoa is smart! Do you think it would still taste good if I omit the feta cheese?
Dara
Hi Vanessa, the feta definitely adds some good flavor, including salt. If you omit the feta, I'd at least make sure to add a bit more salt.
Sharon T.
I love this salad! I used a few substitutions with what I had on hand--lemon juice instead of lime and 1/2 of a small sweet onion, but it was terrific! I'm definitely making it again, next time I'll make sure to have all the ingredients on hand--it's just so good!
Dara
I'm so glad to hear that, Sharon! It sounds as though your substitutions worked out perfectly.
Carol at Wild Goose Tea
For some reason when I looked at the photo I was struck on how cheery this salad looked. It flat out looks fun. I know it is flat out delicious because I groove on every single one of the ingredients.