EASY, REFRESHING & NUTRITIOUS
TOMATO QUINOA SALAD WITH HERBS
Looking for Summer salads that don’t suck! My friend, you just landed at the right place. Whether you are searching for a healthy summer salad recipe, making summer salads for your next potluck get-together, these 2 salads will help you embrace the seasonal fresh produce and it will definitely leave your friends asking for that secret recipe.
WHAT DO YOU NEED TO MAKE A GREAT QUALITY SALAD
- Freshness of Ingredients – Always use seasonal produce because frozen products already has a lot of moisture in it & adding seasonings/ dressing will water it down further…resulting in soggy/ sloppy salad. And believe me no one wants to eat THAT kind of salad!
- Perfect Blend of Ingredients – Every great salad has a perfect mix of crunchiness/ softness that is brought about by using textural produce. If the ingredients blend together in harmony, it would definitely satisfy your palate. And that is why a recipe should always give you options to choose from, for the produce as well as the toppings.
- Appealing to the eye – This last and the most important criteria is all about VISUALS. Remember we eat with our eyes first. Introduce colors into your salad. A vivid salad will always look more appealing than a monotone one!
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These easy to prepare summer salads can be enjoyed with any main course and side dish. You can check my Easy, instant & vegan potato curry... where this tomato quinoa salad would make for a perfect fit.
TOMATO QUINOA SALAD WITH HERBS
Ingredients
Salad Ingredients
- 2 Cups Cherry or grape tomatoes, halved (I used a blend of multi-color, just because salad looks pretty that way)
- ⅓ Cup Uncooked Quinoa, I used Lundberg's Organic tri-colored quinoa
- ½ Cup Fresh Mozzarella balls, or use vegan feta
- ½ Cup cucumbers, sliced
Dressing Ingredients
- ¼ Cup Extra virgin olive oil
- 2 Tbsp. Red wine vinegar
- 1 Tsp Garlic, minced
- 1.5 Tsp Agave nectar, other options – honey or maple syrup
- 1.5 Tbsp. Fresh Basil, chopped
- ½ Tsp Rosemary, fresh or dried
- to taste Salt
- to taste Black pepper powder, ground
Instructions
- In a saucepan cook quinoa according to the package instructions. Set aside, once cooked.
- In a medium salad bowl, add all the salad ingredients.
- For the dressing: In a mixing bowl whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic, agave nectar, basil, rosemary and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Pour the dressing over the salad. To allow flavors to infuse further, let marinate for 30 minutes in the refrigerator, tossing once halfway through.
- Serve immediately or within a few hours of preparing.
- Take 5 seconds to rate this recipe below. We greatly appreciate it!
AVOCADO & CORN PASTA SALAD
AVOCADO & CORN PASTA SALAD
Ingredients
Salad Ingredients
- 8 oz. Bow tie pasta, cooked (use gluten free if needed)
- 1 ¼ Cup Corn, grilled and cut off the cob (can be fresh or frozen)
- 1 Cup Cherry tomatoes, halved
- 2 Tbsp. Red onion, chopped
- 2 Tbsp. Cilantro, chopped
- 1-2 Small avocado, cubed
- Cotija cheese, optional topping
- Pepitas, walnuts, pecans, cranberries, optional topping
Dressing Ingredients
- ½ Cup Plain Greek yogurt
- ⅓ Cup Plain hung yogurt
- ¼ Cup Lemon juice
- 1 Tsp. Garlic, chopped
- ½ Tsp. Salt
- ⅛-¼ Tsp. Cayenne powder, add little at a time
- ½ Tsp. Sugar
- 2 Tsp. Olive oil
- ¼-½ Tsp. Black pepper powder, freshly ground
Instructions
- Add all the salad ingredients to a bowl.
- Blend all the dressing ingredients together.
- Toss yogurt lime dressing onto the salad ingredients.
- Keep it chilled in the fridge until you are ready to eat! (It is also amazing with a little cotija on top too, optional!)
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Make this AVOCADO & CORN PASTA SALAD using OVEN ROASTED CORN ON THE COB or check out our latest recipes on the BLOG.
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This review is for tomato quinoa salad. This has VERY quickly become my summer go-to for easy lunches during the week! Great with tostadas or toasted bread to soak up the yummy juices (like panzanella) and I add summer corn to my version for some extra dose of veggies! Thanks for a great recipe!
Hello Tammy,
Funny how you mentioned using bread with this salad!
We sometimes use a loaf of Italian or French bread, toast with butter & top it with this salad to make sandwich.
All this flavored goodness gets soaked up in the bread.
Happy to know you enjoy eating this salad 🙂