Strawberry Arugula Quinoa Salad with Sweet Lime Vinaigrette

This Strawberry Arugula Quinoa Salad makes a great light lunch or dinner side dish.  This salad recipe is naturally gluten-free and easily made vegan.

I like most fruits, but I had to pick a favorite it would be strawberries.

Sadly, I don’t eat them nearly often enough because they are the one food that both the boys agree on. (And that never happens.) Every time I think I’ve bought enough to enjoy the bounty, I am again astounded by how quickly they go through them. Though they can pack away $8 worth of organic strawberries in a single sitting, I really can’t complain since one of my biggest goals is for them to eat healthily.

Of course, that doesn’t help me when I want to make a summer salad like this Strawberry Arugula Quinoa Salad. Nope, I’ve got to resort to drastic measures if I want to claim strawberries for a recipe.

I have to hide the strawberries underneath the kale, collards, and arugula where there is no way little boys will go looking. Sad, but true.
(You may also find a Green & Blacks Chocolate Bar in this hiding space.)

This Strawberry Arugula Quinoa Salad makes a great light lunch and also works great as a side dish. I love the contrast of the sweet strawberries and bitter arugula, but any greens would work fine here.

Do you ever hide food so it doesn’t get eaten before you can make a recipe you’ve planned?

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Strawberry Arugula Quinoa Salad with Sweet Lime Vinaigrette

Author Wendy Polisi

Ingredients

• Salad
• 1 cup cooked quinoa
• 1 cup strawberries hulled and sliced thin
• 5 ounces arugula
• 4 ounces goat cheese or vegan goat cheese
• ¼ cup pepitas pumpkin seeds
• Dressing
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon coconut palm sugar or sweetener of choice
• 3 tablespoons lime juice
• ¼ cup fresh orange juice
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil or chia gel - see note

Instructions

1. In a large bowl combine quinoa, strawberries and arugula.
2. Blend mustard, palm sugar, lime juice, orange juice, garlic, salt and peppers in a blender. Add oil in a steady stream and blend for 1 minute.
3. Toss salad with dressing and top with goat cheese and pepitas.

Recipe Notes

Servings 6, Calories 259, Fat 19.3g, Carbohydrates 13.8g, Protein 101.g, Cholesterol 20mg, Sodium 419mg, Fiber 1.9g, Sugars 4.7g For lower calories and fat, use chia gel in place of the oil in the dressing. To do this combine 1/4 cup water with 1 tablespoon of chia seeds. Stir and allow to sit for 10 minutes to thicken.