Strawberry Spinach Salad with Balsamic Dressing

This strawberry spinach salad is the perfect dinner for a warm summer evening. It is both filling and light, topped with nutritious quinoa and a delicious balsamic dressing.

I think I fell in love with salads when I worked at a burger restaurant. I got a lot of free food while I worked there and after long shifts behind a grill my body often craved something both fresh and filling. The restaurant I worked at served delicious quinoa salads that were the perfect thing to fill my cravings.

Now several years later I still enjoy a fresh strawberry spinach salad topped with quinoa on a hot summer day. This salad is my favorite when berries are in season. It is a regular meal found on our kitchen table during the spring and summer.

I learned to make a quick balsamic dressing out of pantry staples like oil and mustard and it is the perfect topping for this strawberry spinach salad.

Ingredients for Strawberry Salad

• Spinach
• Quinoa
• Strawberries
• Apple
• Roasted Pecans
• Feta, or Cottage Cheese.
• Balsamic dressing
  • Balsamic Vinegar
  • Stone Ground Mustard
  • Honey or Maple Syrup
  • Olive Oil
• Optional Ingredients: Chopped Chicken or Turkey, Blueberries

How to Make Strawberry Spinach Salad

Begin by cooking the quinoa. Add one part quinoa to two parts water in a pan and simmer over medium low heat until the quinoa is cooked through, you can tell its cooked through when there is no longer a light colored spot in the middle.

Set the quinoa aside or in the fridge to cool.

Put pecans in the oven to roast. I like to broil them for 1-2 minutes to do it quickly, but you can also roast them for longer at a lower heat. Keep a close eye on them either way—it doesn’t take long for them to roast and they can easily become burnt.

Slice apples and strawberries into small pieces.

Start building the salads by first putting a large handful of spinach in your bowl. Top with cooled quinoa, apples, strawberries, cheese, pecans, and any additional ingredients.

Add all the balsamic dressing ingredients to a bottle or blender and shake or a blend until combined. It is slightly harder to get the mixture to fully combine if using honey.

Top the salad with your desired amount of dressing, then mix up the salad and enjoy!

Strawberry Spinach Salad with Balsamic Dressing

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Course Main Course, Salad

Cuisine American

Ingredients

  

• spinach
• quinoa
• strawberries
• apple
• roasted pecans
• feta or cottage cheese

Balsamic dressing

• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp stone ground mustard
• 1-2 tbsp honey or maple syrup
• 1-2 tbsp olive oil

Optional ingredients:

• chopped chicken or turkey
• blueberries

Instructions

 

• Begin by cooking the quinoa. Add one part quinoa to two parts water in a pan and simmer over medium low heat until the quinoa is cooked through, you can tell its cooked through when there is no longer a light colored spot in the middle.
• Set the quinoa aside or in the fridge to cool.
• Put pecans in the oven to roast. I like to broil them for 1-2 minutes to do it quickly, but you can also roast them for longer at a lower heat. Keep a close eye on them either way—it doesn’t take long for them to roast and they can easily become burnt.
• Slice apples and strawberries into small pieces.
• Start building the salads by first putting a large handful of spinach in your bowl. Top with cooled quinoa, apples, strawberries, cheese, pecans, and any additional ingredients.
• Add all the balsamic dressing ingredients to a bottle or blender and shake or a blend until combined. It is slightly harder to get the mixture to fully combine if using honey.
• Top the salad with your desired amount of dressing, then mix up the salad and enjoy!

Keyword from scratch, fruit, quinoa, salad