Spinach Quinoa Salad

A fresh but hearty salad that works equally well as a light meal or side salad

Spinach Quinoa Salad

Savory, Tangy & Delish!

The first time I made this salad, I ate it for dinner at my son’s baseball game.  Everyone on the stands wanted to try it and asked for the recipe so I decided to share it here because became one of my go to salads.

It’s quinoa, fresh spinach, cucumbers, red onion, chickpeas, dried cherries and toasted sliced almonds, all tossed in a tangy dressing made with EVOO, lemon juice, garlic & yogurt (I used Almond Milk yogurt).

Recipe adapted from Vegetarian Times, it’s my kind of salad — easy to prep, packed with lots of textures & flavors and delicious. In fact, it tasted great the first day, even better the second!

Scroll down to see the recipe.

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Recipe

 

4.0 from 1 reviews
Spinach Quinoa Salad Cherries & Almonds
 
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Fresh but hearty, this is one of my go to salads. Great on it's own or as a side dish. Easy to prep, packed with goodness and tastes as great (if not better) the second day as the first. Recipe adapted from [i]Vegetarian Times[/i].
Author:
Recipe type: Salads, Sides
Cuisine: Gluten-Free, Vegetarian, Vegan
Serves: 6-8 servings
Ingredients
Salad
  • 1½ cups quinoa, already cooked according to package
  • 2 cups fresh spinach leaves, chopped into slivers or thin strips
  • 1 cup dried cherries
  • 1½ cup cucumber, diced (approximately 1 small cucumber, skin on or peeled, seeded and cut into ½ inch slices, then quartered)
  • 1 15-oz. can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
  • ½ cup red onion, diced
  • ¼ cup - ½ cup sliced almonds (according to tastes)
Dresssing
  • ¼ cup plain yogurt (I used Almond Milk Yogurt)
  • 3 Tablespoons. olive oil
  • 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
Instructions
Toast almonds (optional)
  1. Over medium-high heat, saute almonds in a dry saucepan until lightly toasted, stirring frequently so as to not burn any, about 5-7 minutes. Set aside to cool
Make the dressing
  1. In a small bowl, whisk together yogurt, olive oil, lemon juice and garlic.
Assemble
  1. In large bowl, gently mix chickpeas and a spoonful or two of dressing to coat.
  2. Add remaining ingredients -- almonds, spinach, cherries, cucumber and quinoa. Toss together to combine. Add remaining dressing and toss to combine..
  3. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
  4. Tastes great immediately or allow to settle and flavors to combine. Tastes great day 2 as well.

 

6 thoughts on “Spinach Quinoa Salad”

    1. Great! So glad you loved it too! I love that it’s a versatile salad that where you can add or skip things and it still tastes great!

      Reply

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