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Summer dreaming meal

July 8, 2016

Cool summer salads are exactly what I’m craving these days. This summer berry quinoa salad has me dreaming of Block Island and beach days. My favorite things about summer salads – minimal effort, easy to prep ahead but filling.

I feel as though I woke up and Charlie is six months old, and then I blinked and he’s a week away from seven months. I’m already mourning the loss of the baby aspect because he is blowing through clothing sizes and is determined to be mobile. He is so much fun at this stage, but I also loved my little man who just wanted to snuggle me constantly. I’m sure I’ll miss this current phase once he’s walking.

Do you ever get into food ruts? Either you’re making/eating the same things or the recipes and meals you are drawn to do little more than nourish you. I’m used to having more interesting meals, to constantly being inspired by food. Could be my priorities have shifted during the triage mode I was in returning to work, or the frequent sleep disruptions, or maybe my tastes are changing and I haven’t quite caught up yet. Either way this salad was a revelation the first time I made it.

I’ve been daydreaming about this salad since I originally made it for the Eat Real Food class I teach. It’s so beautiful and light, it screams summer. There seems to be a paucity of berry recipes that don’t involve dessert or drinks but berries are so fun and the season is so short I want to make the most of how ever many weeks we have! You can easily adjust the berries in this recipe based on what is available – just keep in mind you need 3 cups of fresh berries and a variety of colors and textures will enhance the recipe.

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Quinoa Berry Salad

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  • Author: feedingbless

Description

Prep time: 5 min. Total time: 5 min. Serves: 4 entree salads

Ingredients

Scale
  1. 7 cups baby spinach
  2. 1 cup fresh strawberries, halved
  3. 1 cup fresh raspberries
  4. 1 cup fresh blackberries
  5. 1 cup cooked quinoa
  6. 4 tablespoons lemon juice
  7. 1 teaspoon lemon zest
  8. 1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard
  9. 1 tablespoon honey or agave nectar
  10. 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  11. 1 tablespoon poppy seeds (optional)
  12. 1/2 cup toasted pecan halves (optional)

Instructions

  1. Whisk lemon juice, zest, mustard, honey/agave and oil together in a large salad bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  2. Add quinoa, berries and kale to the bowl on top of the vinaigrette
  3. Toss to coat in the vinaigrette. Serve at room temperature or chilled. Can add grilled chicken or roasted tempeh if additional protein is desired.

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