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A Delicious Healthy Salad In A Garlic Champagne Vinaigrette
This Quinoa Fresh Garden Salad is my summer time favorite. It is full of fresh cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, green onions, spinach, arugula, shredded carrots, and avocado. Topped with a lovely vinaigrette with a perfect blend of olive oil, lemon juice, champagne vinegar, agave, sea salt and black pepper. Mix it together with cooled precooked quinoa. This salad is an excellent side salad for so many summer main dishes or a main dish in it’s self. Top it with a Mediterranean flair with white northern beans and vegan feta cheese to kick it up to a wonderful high protein healthy main course.
A Little History On Quinoa
As an ancient crop going back 3,000 to 5,000 years ago. As an Andean plant quinoa originated around the surrounding areas of Lake Titicaca in Bolivia and Peru. Being independently domesticated many times by pre-Columbian civilizations and creating the largest and greatest variation and genetic diversity in this region.
Quinoa is called the mother grain and considered sacred by the Incas because of being rich in protein and nutritious in minerals. The grain provided good health and energy. It sustained Incan armies with a mixture of quinoa and fat and they called it their “war balls“. These indigenous people considered it to be so sacred that the Inca leader used a solid gold shovel to plant the first quinoa seeds of the year.
This self pollinating plant is full of nutrients and respected as a superfood. It gets its label for many reasons. One major reason being that it is a complete protein containing all nine amino acids. It is high in fiber, oil and a great source of iron, phosphorus, magnesium, calcium, potassium, copper, zinc, vitamin E and antioxidants. No wonder the Incas named it war balls.
I know I will be eating more quinoa after writing this brief bit of history of this amazing grain. Theres so much more to learn about quinoa and the history is rich with the Spaniards. Check it out! As for now I hope you enjoy this Quinoa Fresh Garden Salad recipe I made for you here on this blog. Enjoy!
How To Make The Champagne Vinaigrette
If you have never used champagne vinegar then you are in for a treat. Champagne has a citrus and apple-like aromas. The grapes are mostly from the Chardonnay grapes giving the vinegar a light acid flavor. This gives the profile a mild complexity. So, really wonderful in using it for vinaigrettes, because it’s flavors are not dominating over other spices and herbs like other vinegars.
When making the Champagne vinaigrette for this Quinoa Fresh Garden Salad just add all the ingredients for the vinaigrette together and let the flavors mingle. You can make it in a small bowl and whisk it together or in a jar and shack it up.
Toss all the salad ingredients together. Add the Champagne vinaigrette, mix it into the salad. The salad is ready to eat.
Although, I find that if you let this salad sit over night or for a couple of hours the flavors really pull through the whole salad. If your vegetables are really fresh this is a salad you can make a day ahead of time.
How To Make Quinoa Fresh Garden Salad
This Quinoa Fresh Garden Salad is exactly that “Fresh”. Every vegetable in this recipe is full of robust flavor and if it’s from your garden even better.
Ok! Let’s jump into how to make this easy salad. First for this salad cook the quinoa. Let it cool before adding it to the salad. I make mine the day before and make extra for other meals.
Chop up all your vegetables. I shred the carrots because I like them this way in a salad. I find chunks of carrots harder to chew and annoying when trying to enjoy a salad. Just throw in small spinach leaves and arugula but if they are large I rip up the leaves to be smaller. I also take the long stems off of the spinach.
Next put all of the salad ingredients into a large bowl and toss it all together. After mixing it add the Champagne vinaigrette and mix it in well. Serve it right away or cover and put in the refrigerator to let the vinaigrette sit and mingle it’s flavors into the salad.
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Print
Quinoa Fresh Garden Salad
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 large servings 1x
- Category: Salad
- Method: Stove Top/Hand Chop
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This Quinoa Fresh Garden Salad is delicious healthy summer salad. This salad is full of cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, spinach, arugula, avocado, shredded carrot and green onions. Mixed together with quinoa and complementary champagne vinaigrette. Serve this salad as a side or add some northern white beans and vegan feta and enjoy as a full course meal.
Ingredients
Quinoa Fresh Garden Salad
For the Vinaigrette :
- 1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 Large Lemon
- 2 cloves of Garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 Tbsp Champagne Vinegar
- 2 tsp Agave Syrup
- Sea Salt to taste
- Ground Black Pepper to taste
For the Salad:
- 2 cups Cooked Cold Quinoa
- 1 cup Spinach, baby or ripped large spinach
- 1 cup Arugula
- 1 cup Cucumber, cubed in chunks
- 1 cup Cherry Tomatoes, cut in half
- 1/2 cup Carrot, shredded
- 2 Green Onions, sliced
- Sea Salt to taste
- Ground Black Pepper to taste
- 1 large Avocado, sliced for top garnish
Instructions
Quinoa Fresh Garden Salad
- In a small bowl or salad dressing jar add all of the vinaigrette ingredients. Whisk together or shack up in the jar and set aside.
- In a Large bowl combine the cold cooked quinoa, spinach, arugula, cubed cucumber, sliced in half cherry tomatoes, shredded carrot and sliced green onion. Mix it all together with a large wooden spoon and then add the champagne vinaigrette. Taste to check for balance of salt and ground black pepper. Add extra if needed.
- Ready to serve.
- Enjoy!
Equipment
Buy Now →Notes
If you would like to make this a balanced full main course add white beans and vegan feta cheese.
This salad taste amazing the longer it sits to marinate the vinaigrette flavors.
Depending on how fresh your vegetables are this salad can be made a day ahead. Put the salad in a tight covered container or plastic wrap to marinate in the refrigerator over night. Stir before serving.
