Quinoa Berry Salad with Yummy Poppy Seed Dressing

Published by Bat-El at March 20, 2022

Ingredients

For the salad:

2-3 cups plain cooked quinoa

1.5 cups strawberries, sliced

1.5 cups blueberries, cut in half

1 avocado, diced

½ red onion, cut into half-moons

¼ cup fresh mint, roughly chopped

2 cups baby arugula

1/3 cup roasted sunflower seeds (or sliced almonds)

For the dressing:

3 tbsp olive oil

4 tbsp maple syrup/ or honey

1 fresh lemon squeezed

1 tbsp white vinegar

1/4 tsp salt Or to taste

1/4 tsp pepper

1 tbsp poppy seeds

This yummy, high-protein fruit berry salad is so colorful, inviting, and beautiful! Perfect for the summer, or even year-round if you use whatever fruits you have on hand. I LOVE making this salad when going to parties or when having a fun gathering with family and friends. And the BEST part is that I can use simple plain quinoa sitting in my fridge waiting for some attention and creativity. Or make a plain batch a night or two before. The berries are so yummy with this easy poppy seed dressing and the quinoa is so flavorful and pretty! This salad is very light and healthy and leaves you with a great feeling of enjoying something so yummy but without the guilt.

Instructions

To assemble the salad,

1). Slice the strawberries into thin rounds, or into quarters if you’d like, as well as cut a red onion into half-moons. Then cut an avocado in half, and chop it into medium chunks. Then chop up some fresh mint and set aside.

2). For the dressing: combine olive oil, maple syrup, freshly squeezed lemon, pink Hamelin salt, crushed black pepper, white vinegar, and whisk it all up until nicely emulsified. Add the poppy seed, and give it another quick whisk.

3). To assemble, I love using a big bowl that allows me to easily mix all the ingredients up. Add the quinoa, which could be cold or room temperature. And then transfer all the chopped ingredients from the cutting board to the bowl.

4). Using a spoon, drizzle some of the dressing into the bowl, gently mix the salad up, and transfer to a platter or serving dish. I love adding a few more fresh greens on the bottom and more fresh fruits on top. Then drizzle some more of the yummy dressing all around, making sure every bite is coated and flavorful.

If you love quinoa as much as I do then this Elegant quinoa salad is going to be your new favorite thing in the kitchen, as well as this fresh quinoa tabouli salad, loaded with veggies, and for sure my turmeric carrot quinoa dish that kids LOVE!

Watch it on YouTube