Quinoa Almond Berry Salad

A week ago I made this Red Quinoa-Avocado Salad for a tasty vegan, gluten free option at a party.  Here is another quinoa salad that is perfect for taking to a picnic, outing, or party.  With all the fruits and the sweet dressing, this salad will definitely be a hit even for non-vegans.  When I brought this to a party last night, I had a lot of requests for the recipe.

This recipe was adapted from Oh She Glows:

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup dry quinoa
• 1 pint strawberries, sliced (I used 3 cups)
• 16 oz. fresh blueberries (I used 2 cups)
• 1 cup cherries, pitted and sliced
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds
• 4 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
• juice from 1 lime
• sea salt, to taste

Directions:

1. Cook quinoa according to package directions.
2. Chop the fruit and place in a large bowl.  Set aside.
3. In a small bowl, combine maple syrup, balsamic vinegar, lime juice, and salt.  Set aside.
4. Add cooked and cooled quinoa to the large bowl with the fruit.  Add almonds.  Gently fold all ingredients together until well combined.
5. Pour on dressing and gently combine until well mixed.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.

The hardest part of this recipe was pitting the cherries and slicing the fruit.  After that, all you have to do is mix everything together!

Yum! Love this close up of all the ingredients!

Update: Here's another way to enjoy this delicious berry salad - try it for breakfast over yogurt!  It's a great way to start your day with protein and fruit!  You can even layer it for a yogurt parfait!

Here I just made a yogurt bowl by topping Silk Vanilla Soy Yogurt

with the Quinoa Almond Berry Salad! Yum!

I am very roughly estimating that this recipe yields 10 1/2 cup servings.

Based on one 1/2 cup serving:

Approximately 119 calories and 5g protein.