This summer salad is nutritious, light yet satisfying, kid-friendly and bursting with flavor! Mango, strawberries and avocado are tossed with fluffy quinoa, chopped spinach, crumbled goat cheese, pine nuts and dressed in a honey-lime vinaigrette. It’s perfect for lunch or dinner and is a crowd-pleaser at gatherings.
Gather
Salad
6 cups baby spinach, roughly chopped
1 cup strawberries, hulled and cut into ¼-inch thick slices
1 mango, diced
½ avocado, diced
1½ ounces goat cheese (omit for vegan)
2 tablespoons pine nuts
½ cup quinoa
½ cup water
⅛ teaspoon sea salt
Vinaigrette
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon lime zest
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon lime juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon raw honey (sub maple syrup for vegan)
freshly ground black pepper
Preparation
- Rinse quinoa under running water in a fine mesh colander. In a small saucepan, combine the rinsed quinoa with water. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat. Cook until all of the liquid has been absorbed, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat, sprinkle in salt and fluff the quinoa with a fork. Allow to cool, uncovered for about 10 minutes.
- In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, lime zest and juice, mustard, honey and freshly ground black pepper.
- To assemble, combine the quinoa, chopped spinach, sliced strawberries, chopped mango, avocado and pine nuts. Crumble goat cheese over the salad. Drizzle in just enough dressing to lightly coat the spinach and toss. Serve immediately or cover and place in refrigerator for later serving, adding the avocado just before serving.