This weekend, we went on our first summery hike of the year. The weather was warm and the sun was shining.
It was our first hike of the year that we didn’t think we were going to: 1) freeze to death, or 2) sink 3 feet deep in the mud.
I didn’t even need a jacket!
Yes, I’m one of those hardcore people who lug their big camera on a hike. ;)
It was worth it though! I love taking pictures of nature.
This waterfall pic below was taken using a slower shutter speed (1/20). Slow shutter speeds create flowy and ‘creamy’ looking waterfalls.
This one below was taken using a faster shutter speed (1/400), which creates more individual drops and a broken up look. Cool, eh?
We hiked about 6k and then raced home to devour lunch.
Feature ingredient: strawberries!
I wanted to create a fruit salad with more staying power, one that was high in protein and healthy fats. I thought quinoa would be a fun grain to use in a fruit salad because it is so light in both texture and flavour. It’s also a complete protein source and gluten-free.
I added some protein and calcium-packed almonds along with a lightly sweetened dressing.
Open mouth. Inhale. Repeat.
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High Protein Quinoa Almond Berry Salad (Vegan & GF)
Yield: 2-3 as a main, 4-6 as a side.
Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup dry quinoa
- 1 pint strawberries, sliced (2.5-3 cups)
- 16 oz. fresh blueberries (1.5-2 cups)
- 1 cup cherries, pitted and sliced
- 2 tbsp pure maple syrup (or other liquid sweetener)
- 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tbsp fresh lime juice (or lemon might work!)
- Pinch of kosher salt
- 1/2 cup almonds, chopped
Directions:
1. Cook quinoa according to package directions.
2. Meanwhile, chop the fruit and place in a large bowl.
3. Mix the dressing ingredients (maple syrup, balsamic, lime juice, salt) in a small jar and adjust to taste if necessary. Note: You may have to double the dressing recipe if your salad is quite large.
4. Fluff cooked quinoa with a fork and add to large bowl with fruit. Combine. Pour on dressing and mix well. Serve immediately or chill in the fridge until serving time. Serves 2-3 as a main or 4-6 as a side. Or if you are reeeeally hungry 2 people!
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The fluffy quinoa soaked up the fruity flavour from the berries and dressing, making a party in my mouth. This would make a great fruit salad to bring to a summer BBQ or gathering. It’s also good for a light & summery breakfast or snack.
That is, if you can share after you taste it!
We each gobbled down a couple heaping plates worth and stared in disbelief at the bottom of the empty bowl.
Who stole our fruit salad?!
Til next time fruit salad, til next time.
Green Monster Movement Update:
– Looking for Green Monster recipe inspiration? Check out the collection of 280 reader recipes over at GMM! So many great reader stories too.
OMG this salad was AMAZING! My boyfriend couldn’t stop raving about it! I’m looking forward to adding peaches to the mix when they are fresh here in Ontario :)
I made this on Tuesday and loved it! My friends loved it as well, and it was gone much too quickly! The cherries were rather expensive, but I’ll definitely be making it again – perhaps with some differents fruits to change it up a bit. Thank you!!!
I am making this tonight for book club… cannot wait to taste it!!
I just made this recipe for next week breakfasts in our house. I can’t stop eating it… it’s just SO good. It’s a keeper, that’s for sure. Thanks Angela for those amazing recipes.
OH MY GOSH. THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT I WANTED.
I have been looking for a quinoa berry recipe and I just bought all fresh berries today. I’m so excited I can’t even express it to you.
Thank you so much for this amazing recipe!
enjoy!
My friend introduce me to your website. I just started including Quinoa into my diet. This is by far my fav recipe yet!
Thank you so much :)
glad to hear that! :)
I’m always looking for new ways to use quinoa, and this is perfect. I love every ingredient in this.
This berry quinoa salad is SOOOOO good! I have been eating it for breakfast and it is the perfect combination of protein and fruit. It easily holds me over until lunch. Now, I just need to buy up all the local, organic berries in central Illinois and freeze them so that I can make this in the winter :-)
So glad you enjoy it Brooke!
I hope to freeze lots of berries too…better get on that stat!
I made the berry quinoa salad (my first time ever cooking or eating quinoa!) last night. It is sooooooooo good! I might use the same basic idea and do some raspberries and peaches instead of the strawberries, cherries and blueberries next time just to change it up. Thank you SO much for posting this recipe.
So glad you enjoyed it Leanne :)
This is so good I can’t stand it. I had to halve the recipe because I didn’t have quite enough berries, and I am staring at an empty bowl in dismay right now. I whizzed up some dried cherries with water and used that to cook the quinoa, which gave another layer of cherry flavour to the salad.
Can anyone tell me why my quinoa looks tan in color and ‘gloppy’?
Made this for breakfast this morning – DELICIOUS! Will now be a huge morning staple!
Glad to hear that Lauren!
This was absolutely amazing!!! Thank you so much for this yummy and super healthy recipe!
I just made this and before beginning I was a little skeptical of mixing the balsamic with maple syrup but it is absolutely delicious! I would never think to mix quinoa with fruit but I love it! I can’t wait to share it with my family, thanks so much!
just wanted you to know I made this for a 4th of july cookout, using raspberries and blackberries in lieu of the blueberries and cherries, and it was AWESOME. fantastic recipe!
Glad to hear that Jules!
Do you think agave would work in place of the maple syrup?? I’m about to make this for a 4th of July bbq and don’t have any syrup!! oh no!!
I made this using leftover coconut quinoa (using coconut milk, water, and coconut). I used agave nectar instead of the maple syrup. YUMMO! Thanks for posting the recipe. I was getting tired of eating leftover coconut quinoa, so this came at a wonderful time to try it out.
I made this fruit salad yesterday and it is just awesome! The recipe really makes a big bowl, and I am happy for that, lol. I wasn’t sure how the addition of balsamic vinegar would taste with the maple syrup, but it really works. I’ll definately be making this again :) Thanks for the recipe!
I just made this recipe. Unfortunately I did not have all the fresh fruit on hand, but I did have dried blueberries, cherries and cranberries. It turned out delicious. I Can’t wait to try it with the fresh fruit. The dressing is a perfect sweet and savory mix with the balsamic vinegar.
This was absolutely delicious and so refreshing! For the first time, I finally cooked the quinoa to perfection. Everything turned out great.
Thak you for sharing tis wonderful recipe. I by chance had all of the ingredients in house and made it late last night. Yummy! I am not a maple syrup lover so I was unsure. I had a pure jar of maple syrup in the cupboard use for this. It was perfect and not overwhelmingly maple. this will be my new goto dish to bring places. thank you for sharing.
I made this for dinner tonight. It was wonderful. Thank you.
The recipe looks delicious! Would you happen to know how many grams of protein are in the recipe. According to Kashi, I need 84g of protein and quinoa would give me a big boost! God Bless!
Just pinned this! Never thought about doing fruit with quinoa.
This looks amazing. I”m going to have to try it this summer. I’m trying to get my kids out of a cereal rut.
Made this last night for my wife and I. AMAZING! You’re a food genius!
Not a fan of cherries..what can I sub them with since its 1 cup or just leave it out?
I searched for a recipe to use quinoa with and made this one. Very good. I love simple recipes that are full of flavor. Thank you!
This salad is amazing. Just amazing. ❤️