Let me tell you, this Strawberry Quinoa Salad is everything. I feel like I’m on a salad roll right now because I was obsessed with my recent Asian Sesame Chicken Salad, and now I am downright gushing over this Strawberry Quinoa Salad. It’s so fresh, bright, healthy and perfect for spring. Plus, it’s super easy and perfect for lunches – who doesn’t like that? I adapted this as a spring/summer version of my Butternut Squash Quinoa Salad (my husband’s favorite) and I like this version even better! Sweet strawberries, creamy goat cheese, fresh basil, peppery arugula, nutty toasted almonds, hearty quinoa and a bright, citrus dressing = pure perfection.
I love this Strawberry Quinoa Salad as a tasty vegetarian lunch option, but it would also make a great side dish. You could even easily double or triple it to bring to a summer potluck or picnic. It’s super flavorful and delicious for just 217 calories or 5 WW Points per serving (or 6 Points if following the diabetic WW plan)! To view your current WW Points for this recipe and track it in the WW app or site, click here! To make this even easier, I totally recommend cooking the quinoa ahead of time. I tossed mine into our rice cooker on the white rice setting and it turned out perfect, so if you have a rice cooker that’s recommended!
This Strawberry Quinoa Salad is fresh, bright, healthy and perfect for spring and summer!
Yield: 6(1 cup) servings
Ingredients
¼cupsliced almonds
1tablespoonolive oil
1tablespoonfresh squeezed orange juice
1tablespoonfresh squeezed lemon juice
1tablespoonapple cider vinegar
1teaspoonhoney
3cupscooked quinoa, room temperature (I used a mixture of white and red)
1lbsliced fresh strawberries
1-2tablespoonsminced fresh basil
2ozcrumbled goat cheese
1cupfresh arugula
Instructions
Place the sliced almonds in a small skillet and spread across the surface. Place over medium heat for a few minutes, stirring occasionally until almonds are toasted golden. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, orange juice, lemon juice, cider vinegar and honey and stir together until combined.
In a large serving bowl, combine the quinoa, strawberries, basil, toasted almonds, goat cheese and arugula and stir until mixed. Pour the dressing from step two over the quinoa mixture and stir until the salad is evenly coated with the dressing. Serve at room temperature or chilled.
Notes
To view your current WW Points for this recipe and track it in the WW app or site, click here!WW Points per (1 cup) serving: 5* (SP calculated using the recipe builder on weightwatchers.com)*6 Points if following the diabetic WW planNutrition Information per (1 cup) serving:217 calories, 28 g carbs, 6 g sugars, 9 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 7 g protein, 5 g fiber (from myfitnesspal.com)MyWW SmartPoints per (1 cup) serving: (SP calculated using the recipe builder on weightwatchers.com)Green: 5 SmartPoints/ Blue: 5 SmartPoints/ Purple: 2 SmartPointsWeight Watchers Points Plus: 6 per (1 cup) serving (PP calculated using a Weight Watchers PointsPlus calculator and the nutrition information below)