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
Strawberry & Quinoa Salad with Toasted Almonds
Ingredients
- â…” cups tricolor quinoa rinsed & drained
- 1 â…“ cups water
- 1 cup sliced strawberries
- 3 tablespoons slivered almonds
- 2 green onions thinly sliced
The Dressing:
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons agave nectar or honey
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Combine the quinoa and water in a medium saucepan set over high heat. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce the heat to low. Cook until all of the water is absorbed, 18 to 20 minutes. Spread the quinoa on a baking sheet and let cool.
- In a serving bowl, combine the cooled quinoa, strawberries, almonds and green onions.
- Toss with the dressing. Serve.
The Dressing:
- In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, agave nectar and salt.
Notes
Nutrition
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Valentina
What a beautiful summertime recipe - I love the blend of flavors. Thank you for lining to my Lemon-Basil Strawberry Caprese. 🙂
Martha @ A Family Feast
What a beautiful salad! I feel healthier just looking at this! 🙂 Can't wait to try making this.
Erin @ Texanerin Baking
Tricolored quinoa?! Huh. I didn't know that was a thing. Germany finally has regular quinoa now so I suppose it's only a matter of years before the tricolored kind shows up. 😉 And it's great that you make stuff like this as a side dish. Around here, it's potatoes... all the time. Time to change things up, I guess!
Marjory @ Dinner-Mom
This is such a pretty salad! I like to make a big batch of quinoa up on the weekend and this is definitely going to be added to the salad rotation!
The Food Hunter
I could eat this everyday for lunch!
Lauren Kelly Nutrition
Great minds think alike! I made something very similar but as usual, your pictures (and recipes) blow me away!
Ashley @ Wishes & Dishes
I have some quinoa in my panty begging to be used in this! Yum!
Robyn Stone | Add a Pinch
I love the flavors in this salad, Dara! The toasted quinoa and toasted almonds along with the strawberries sounds out of this world delicious!
Renee @ Tortillas and Honey
I have a hard time thinking of side dishes and this looks like a great dish to incorporate into my meals. The flavors sound awesome and is so beautiful!
Paula-bell'alimento
Dara that might be the prettiest quinoa salad I've ever seen! Gorgeous.
Stephanie
This is such a pretty salad and I bet it tastes amazing!
Anna @ Crunchy Creamy Sweet
Gorgeous! I love everything about this salad! Tricolor quinoa is my favorite!