Strawberry & Asparagus Quinoa Salad
This Strawberry and Asparagus Quinoa Salad is a healthy and nutritious salad perfect for hot spring and summer days. Made with spinach, strawberries, asparagus, quinoa, goats cheese and walnuts then tossed in our Maple Dijon Vinaigrette. This salad is perfect for bringing to a BBQ or potluck and pairs best with roasted chicken, fish or veggies patties.
We love the combination of sweet fresh strawberries against the contrast of the bitter spinach and asparagus. Together the flavours create magic for our taste buds! If you don’t have strawberries you can substitute blueberries or skip the berries altogether.
For the freshest taste we recommend consuming this salad shortly after it has been made. However, if you are making this salad ahead of time or as part of your weekly meal prep we recommend that you keep the berries separate until just before serving or eating. Including the berries ahead of time may cause the berries to become mushy and the spinach to become wilted. If you need to add them ahead of time, try keeping them whole or cutting them into larger chunks. Another option is that you can prep all the ingredients ahead of time (cut/slice produce, cook quinoa, toast walnuts, make vinaigrette) then place in separate containers and mix together just before serving/eating.
This salad is best paired as a side with your favourite protein, but if you are looking to have it on its own as a meal you can easily double the amount of quinoa in the recipe or add in a can of chickpeas for added protein and fibre. You can also add in cooked lentils or any other bean or legume of choice to the mixture to bulk it up.
Strawberry & Asparagus Quinoa Salad with Maple Vinaigrette
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 7 minutes
Total time: 22 minutes
Makes 4-6 servings.
Salad Ingredients
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1 bunch Asparagus chopped into rounds
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1 cup sliced Strawberries
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4 cups Spinach
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½ cup Quinoa cooked according to package directions and cooled
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¼ cup Walnuts
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¼ cup chopped Shallots
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Optional Add-in: ¼ cup Goats Cheese
Dressing Ingredients
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½ cup Olive Oil
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¼ cup Maple Syrup
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¼ cup Apple Cider Vinegar
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2 tbsp Sherry Vinegar, can sub for Lemon Juice or White Wine Vinegar too
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2 tbsp Grainy Dijon Mustard
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1 tsp Garlic Powder
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Salt and Pepper to taste
Directions
Step 1
Toast Walnuts in a heavy bottomed skillet over medium heat on the stove top for 5-7 minutes or until golden & fragrant.
Step 2
Once walnuts are done remove from the stove top and set aside to cool for a few minutes.
Step 3
In a large mixing bowl add spinach, sliced strawberries, quinoa, and shallots. Toss gently to combine.
Step 4
Add olive oil, maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, sherry vinegar, grainy dijon, garlic powder and salt/pepper to a 2 cup mason. Place lid on top and shake to combine. You can also add all these ingredients to a high speed blender and blend until smooth.
Step 5
Once walnuts are cooled you can add them into your salad along with the Maple Dijon Vinaigrette. Toss to combine fully.
Step 6
Top with goat cheese just before serving.
Recipe notes: If you are making this salad ahead of time, keep the strawberries and dressing separate until just before serving. Doing this will keep the strawberries from becoming mushy and keep spinach crisp. This salad keeps best in a glass sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
This recipe was created by nutritionist and blogger Danielle from Thyme to Nourish, you can check out more of her recipes here.
