Quinoa Avocado Spinach Power Salad
A nourishing quinoa salad with creamy avocado, sweet tomatoes, and fresh spinach. Easy to make and full of energizing, plant-based goodness!
Servings: 5 medium bowls
Ingredients
- 1 cup white quinoa
- 2 medium avocados
- 3 oz. fresh baby spinach
- 1 pint grape/cherry tomatoes
- 3 green onions
- 2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
- 1-2 cloves garlic
- 1/8 tsp. salt (more to taste)
Instructions
- Rinse and cook quinoa according to package directions.* (I use a ratio of 1 cup quinoa to 1 1/2 cups water for fluffier quinoa.)
- Meanwhile, roughly chop the spinach. Place it in a large mixing bowl.
- Mince garlic and add to spinach.
- Halve or quarter the tomatoes, slice green onions, and dice avocado.
- When quinoa is done cooking, immediately add it to the large bowl with spinach and garlic. Toss well to combine, then let it sit for a couple minutes. (This allows the heat from the quinoa to lightly wilt the spinach and mellow the garlic.)
- Then add the tomatoes, green onions, red wine vinegar, and salt. Stir to combine.
- Add the avocado and lightly toss. Taste and add more vinegar or salt if desired. Serve this salad right away while it's still warm, at room temperature, or chilled.
Notes
*To cook 1 cup quinoa: In a small saucepan, boil 1.5 cups water (or vegetable broth for more flavor). Once boiling, add rinsed quinoa, reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes or until liquid has absorbed.
Customizing: The dressing and flavors are flexible. I keep it simple with red wine vinegar, but you can add fresh lemon juice, Dijon mustard, dried herbs, or fresh herbs for more flavor. Cucumber, olives, or bell pepper are great additions too.
Yield: Recipe makes about 8 cups salad. That's about 5 servings of 1.5 heaping cups. Or you can stretch it to 8 smaller side dish servings that are 1 cup each.
Recipe originally posted April 2014. Updated July 2024.
Nutrition Per Serving (Estimate)
Calories: 270 kcal | Carbohydrates: 32 g | Protein: 7 g | Fat: 14 g | Saturated Fat: 2 g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3 g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8 g | Potassium: 800 mg | Fiber: 9 g | Sugar: 2 g | Vitamin A: 2011 IU | Vitamin C: 25 mg | Calcium: 54 mg | Iron: 3 mg
