My second recipe in my Fresh Vegetarian column for Taste Magazine is up! I could go on about this strawberry and spinach salad (it’s delicious, try it) or tell you about my mishaps in the kitchen this week (there have been many), but I all I really want to say is this: thank you.
Thank you, readers, for your presence and encouraging comments. Thank you, family and friends, for your love and support. Thank you, internet, for presenting so many wonderful opportunities. Thank you, modern science, for allowing me to donate stem cells to a young man with leukemia last year. He is graduating from college this weekend and I couldn’t be happier for him. Thank you, God and universe, for this good fortune. I’m just overflowing with gratitude and all I can say is thank you.
Strawberry, Quinoa and Chopped Spinach Salad
- Author:
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 1 1x
- Category: Salad
A summery, healthy one-bowl meal. Amounts listed below yield one big serving of salad.
Ingredients
Dressing ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 to 3 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon real maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon shallot, finely chopped
Salad ingredients:
- ¾ cup cooked quinoa, warmed
- 2 to 3 tablespoons goat cheese, crumbled
- black pepper and sea salt, to taste
- ⅔ cup strawberries, chopped
- 2 cups baby spinach, roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons pecan pieces
Instructions
- Cook the quinoa: Note that 1 cup of dry quinoa yields over 3 cups cooked quinoa. Rinse the quinoa well in a mesh colander, then combine the rinsed quinoa with twice as much water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for 15 minutes or until water is absorbed, remove from heat and fluff with a fork.
- Make the dressing: In a small jar, combine the ingredients listed below. Either use a fork to whisk the ingredients well or screw a lid on the jar and give it a few good shakes. Taste the dressing and adjust the flavors if necessary (add vinegar for a more tart dressing, or maple syrup for a sweeter dressing). Set the dressing aside.
- Toast the pecans: In a small pan over medium heat, toast your pecan pieces until they are fragrant and golden (stir often). This should take around five minutes.
- In a bowl, mix together ¾ cup or more of warm quinoa with the goat cheese, salt and pepper. Mix in the strawberries and spinach, drizzle with as much dressing as desired, and mix well. Top with pecan pieces. Enjoy!
▸ Nutrition Information
P.s. Please join the registry.
Vegetable enthusiast. Dog lover. I'm probably making a big mess in my Kansas City kitchen right now. 
Cassie
This looks right up my alley. Great combination of flavors!!
Blog is the New Blac
It’s like you read my mind- I was just thinking I want a big salad with quinoa in it! This looks terrific.
Katherine Martinelli
What a lovely, lovely post. Off to check out the recipe at Taste – so exciting that you have a column there now! Wonderful. This salad looks like perfection.
Leanne @ HP
Wow, your story sounds so amazing. I love how much gratitude you have for everything around you, it’s really inspiring :)
Kasey
I am so very excited to give you a real world hug in just a few weeks! Your Saveur nom was SO well-deserved. Let’s celebrate with strawberries! x
kate
Thank you, Kasey! I am sooo excited to meet you! Only a few more weeks!
Katrina
This salad is like the ultimate health food. Love it!
chinmayie
Your salad photos make me crave salad every single time! Beautiful :)
Laura (Tutti Dolci)
I already love strawberries with spinach – adding quinoa to the mix sounds like perfection!
Margarita
Kathryne, I made something similar for dinner tonight because I got so inspired by this beautiful dish. Substituted quinoa for wheat berries and used a strawberry and grape combo then feta instead of goat. :)
kate
That’s great, Margarita! I am sure that strawberries and grapes would be absolutely delicious with wheat berries.
Lesley
Oh, yum! Love the shallot in the dressing recipe! I may sub honey for maple syrup, though.
Steph
That looks so good…and healthy! Love your recipes. : ) Good, fit food.
Heidi @foodiecrush
Strawberries and spinach are one of my all-time favorite recipes. Give it a try with watermelon tossed in too. You just might find a new fave!
Ressourcen
Mine too! I’ll try but with a little leaves of mint hoho :D
Shoko
I love strawberries in salad, so this is perfect! By the way, my sister-in-law was looking for some new recipes the other day, so we went through your archives – SO many amazing things! I’m making those mini blackberry cobblers ASAP! :)
kate
Love that you shared my blog with your sister in law! Thank you, Shoko. I made those mini cobblers so long ago, I think it’s time to make some more! They would be so great served with a spoonful of vanilla ice cream on top.
lacucinadellacapra
wow, the combination of straberries and spinach is something unusual, and i’m really curious to taste it! regards from Italy!
Jenny
I made this for lunch today and it was absolutely one of the best salads I have ever made. Wow, so much great flavor, texture, and awesomeness. I am already looking forward to having it again for lunch tomorrow! Thank you so much for sharing this and all of your lovely recipes.
kate
I’m so glad you enjoyed the salad, Jenny! Thank you for commenting and letting me know, I really appreciate your feedback.
Ashley
Oh Kate, reading your blog is always a heart hug – so happy for you!!
Amy
Hello Kate, I am nominating you for the Versatile Blogger Award (http://versatilebloggeraward.wordpress.com/vba-rules/) and will be featuring a link to your site on my blog Amy’s Nutritarian Kitchen (amysnutritariankitchen.blogspot.com). Keep up the great blogging! -Amy
Sonja/A Couple Cooks
Kate, This salad looks delicious! I would never have thought of strawberries and quinoa, but we’ll have to give it a try now that strawberries are starting to come into season in Indiana!
Also, thank you for donating stem cells – I had no idea! Thank you for giving to such a worthy cause.
peanut
This is definitely one of our favourites this summer. Making it again today and looking forward to it a lot! ^.^
Kate
Glad to hear it, Peanut!
Liliana
I came here following a google search for “strawberry quinoa spinach salad”. And wound up signing the registry. thanks for the inspiration.
Kate
Thank you so much, Liliana. That’s wonderful.
Anna
I used this as inspiration to cook a roast med veg, quinoa and goat’s cheese salad tonight – your dressing made it! Absolutely lovely.
Kate
So glad to hear it, Anna! Your salad sounds stellar.
Rose
How many people does this recipe serve? Or if preparing just for myself, how many servings will I get from this?
Love all your recipes, makes it easy to eat healthy!
Kate
Hi Rose, I’m sorry those details are missing from the recipe. Just fixed that. The ingredients as listed yield one big salad, enough for a one-bowl meal.
Marie
We were looking for a quick healthy salad to share last night and came upon this beauty. I left out the goat cheese and maple syrup for the family members that can’t have or choose not to partake of those delicious foods. The result was still a five star as far as we’re concerned. Applause all around! Thanks for the inspiration and delicious recipe.
Keep up the good work!!
★★★★★
Lillia
Have you ever prepped and saved the dressing? If so, how long does it stay good for in the fridge? Looks delicious!
Kate
Hi! It should keep for a few days. However, some dressings like this can settle and harden. It might need sometime to warm and/or mixed again. Let me know what you think!
Lori T
Wow! I was just reading about William Harper and saw your name in his article. I made the connection that the food blogger was you! I’ve been following you for years but never wrote. My partner of 26 years had leukemia (in Seattle) and was saved by the stem cells of a stranger in North Carolina. I will forever be grateful in the deepest part of my heart for their thoughtfulness and generosity. My boyfriend is now alive and everyday seems like a miracle. I’m in a group with hundreds of people with Acute Leukemia and donors like you are their greatest hope. Thank you for what you did. You are such an inspiration.
Kate
Thank you, Lori! I appreciate your kind comment. I’m so happy to hear he is doing well!
valerie kosheleff
This is so delicious! I even got an 85-year old, conservative, male, who thought fruit didn’t belong in salad, to enjoy it as a side for dinner! Having no pecans, I toasted cashews and no one was the wiser! Thank you Kate!
★★★★★