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One can never have too many summer potluck side dishes in their recipe lineup. This fresh Strawberry & Quinoa Salad with Toasted Almonds is a surefire crowd pleaser.

As much as I enjoy a good side dish, there are times (okay, MANY times) that all I can muster is a bowl of brown rice, with a side of soy sauce. This quinoa almost fell into that pit of side dish despair where lazy meets boring, and your kids start complaining, "Quinoa again?"

In the spirit of not lulling my family into a side dish stupor, I pulled myself together and rustled around in the fridge for ingredients other than soy sauce.

Out came the strawberries, lemon juice, olive oil and green onions, and into a bowl they went with the quinoa, along with a palmful of toasted almonds. Nutty, sweet, savory and bright. As soon as I took a bite of the salad, I scrabbled around for a piece of paper and jotted down the ingredients, knowing I'd want to re-create the recipe the next day for the blog (and for every summertime barbecue this season).

So, how else can you spice up that bowl of quinoa to make it the most enticing thing on the potluck table?

Some of my favorite ways to use quinoa:

In a Quinoa, Blueberry & Avocado Salad
As a stuffing for Greek Quinoa & Hummus Stuffed Tomatoes
As a fiber booster in Baked Turkey, Quinoa & Zucchini Meatballs
As a lettuce wrap filler in Salad Cups with Quinoa, Shrimp, Avocado & Lemon Dressing
In my favorite Hearty Chicken Stew with Butternut Squash & Quinoa

For a potluck salad that's great at room temperature, a simple vinaigrette, with some vegetable, fruit and/or nut mix-ins are all you need to make a great whole grain salad.

Other healthy recipes with strawberries:

Seared Shrimp with Jicama, Strawberries & Avocado
Whole Wheat Strawberry Oat Bars

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