Quinoa Almond Fruit Salad Recipe

By Genevieve

Since I became a vegetarian, I've been eating a lot of quinoa. Its a complete protein, its very easy to cook, and there are endless possibilities for turning it into a delicious meal, so I never have a problem using it up if I have leftovers. I've tried wrapping it up in a tortilla with some veggies, and even eating it for breakfast layered with yogurt to make a parfait!

Quinoa also goes well with just about any kind of fruit, and this salad is proof of that! I saw the recipe on Oh She Glows, and have made it a couple of times since then. The first time, I didn't think it was anything special, but now I realize the reason I didn't love it was because I decided to use blackberries instead of blueberries. I guess blackberries are one fruit that actually don't belong in quinoa, at least for my personal taste - I just didn't like the texture of their crunchy seeds mixed with everything else in the dish.

So the next time I made it, I used a different combination of fruits that turned out really well! I kept the strawberries and blueberries from the original recipe, and also added mango (because clearly I love mango!). I thought the flavour and texture of the mango went perfectly with everything else, and also added a nice burst of colour. Next time, I might even include kiwi too for one more bright colour to go with the red, blue, and yellow!

Usually, I find that quinoa doesn't need much of a dressing, but it does soak up the flavour of any dressing that you do add. I loved the dressing in this recipe - the taste of the lime definitely came through, but it was balanced by the subtle sweetness of the maple syrup and the balsamic. I also like when a dressing is oil-free!

Here is the recipe with my changes. Aside from the addition of mango, I also added lime zest and two types of almonds. And since I was bringing this to a potluck, I used more quinoa than the original recipe, and one and a half times the amount of dressing.

Quinoa Almond Fruit Salad

Adapted from Oh She Glows

Ingredients:

• About 1 cup dry quinoa
• 1 pint strawberries, diced (about 2.5 cups)
• 6 oz blueberries
• 2 small mangos, diced
• 1/3 cup raw almonds, chopped
• 1/3 cup slivered almonds

Dressing:

• 3 tbsp pure maple syrup
• 1.5 tsp balsamic vinegar
• 1.5 tbsp fresh lime juice
• zest of one lime
• pinch of kosher salt

Instructions:

Cook the quinoa according to the package instructions. Let cool and fluff with a fork.

Meanwhile, chop up your fruit and almonds and set aside. (I toasted the almonds first because I prefer them that way).

Make the dressing by whisking all ingredients in a small bowl.

Transfer the cooked quinoa to a large bowl. Add in the fruit and almonds and stir to combine. Pour the dressing on and mix well. Chill the salad in the fridge until serving time.

Makes a large amount (I'm not sure how many servings this made because I brought it to a potluck, but it fed lots of people!)

Quinoa Almond Fruit Salad Recipe 2022-03-07T07:22:00-08:00 Rating: 4.5 Diposkan Oleh: Admin