Spring Quinoa Salad with Honey Lemon Vinaigrette
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This spring quinoa salad is the perfect way to kick off the season. It’s loaded with crisp asparagus, sweet peas, fresh herbs, and avocado, all tossed together with a honey-lemon vinaigrette. Satisfying, easy to make, and perfect for meal prep!
Spring is one of my favorite seasons for cooking. I love it when fresh veggies, like asparagus and herbs, start showing up at the market. When making spring recipes, I love to include lots of herbs, like I do in my spiced lentil lettuce wraps. In that recipe, I use lots of parsley; in this spring quinoa salad, I use mint and dill. The fresh herbs really brighten up the dish.
The other factor that keeps this recipe light and bright is the honey lemon vinaigrette. It has just enough sweetness and tang to bring out the flavors in the other ingredients. It’s a similar dressing to the one I use in my farro and melon salad with prosciutto, and it works great with both grain salads.
Key ingredients in spring quinoa salad
- Quinoa: For this spring quinoa salad recipe, you’ll need to cook your quinoa in advance. Allowing the quinoa to chill in the refrigerator for a couple of hours also ensures that it stays fluffy and doesn’t wilt the other ingredients.
- Asparagus: Fresh asparagus is a spring staple and a key ingredient in this salad. Ensure that your asparagus is fresh by checking to make sure the stalks are firm and the tips are tightly closed.
- Peas: No spring salad would be complete without sweet peas! I like to keep it simple by thawing frozen peas, but feel free to use fresh, shelled peas. If you choose fresh, I recommend blanching then beforehand.
- Dill and mint: These herbs add even more springy freshness to the salad!
Tips and Substitutions
- This spring quinoa salad recipe is naturally vegetarian but can be easily made vegan by substituting maple syrup for honey in the dressing.
- If you’re not a fan of quinoa, try swapping in another whole grain, such as cooked farro, barley, or buckwheat. You could even make it a pasta salad and add your favorite short-cut pasta.
- In terms of measurements, the recommendations in this recipe are pretty forgiving. Don’t like peas? Swap them out for another fresh spring vegetable. Feel free to adjust until you find a combo that you love!
Spring Quinoa Salad with Honey Lemon Vinaigrette
Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa
- 1 ¾ cups water
- 1 small bunch asparagus (trimmed)
- 3 scallions (finely chopped)
- 1 cup shelled peas (fresh or thawed from frozen)
- ¼ cup fresh dill (chopped)
- ¼ cup fresh mint (chopped)
- Avocado and toasted almonds (to serve)
Lemon VInaigrette
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
- Zest from 1 unwaxed lemon
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- Kosher salt (to taste)
Instructions
- Combine the quinoa and water in a medium-sized pot and bring the pot to a boil. Lower the heat, cover the pot, and simmer for 12 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and let it sit, covered for another 10 minutes. Transfer the cooked quinoa to a wide, shallow bowl and put it into your fridge to cool completely.1 cup quinoa, 1 ¾ cups water
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and place a bowl of ice water next to the stove. Add the asparagus to the boiling water and cook for 2-3 minutes or until just tender. Quickly transfer the asparagus to the ice water to halt the cooking process. Once cooled, remove and slice into 1-inch pieces.1 small bunch asparagus
- To make the dressing, add all ingredients to a jar and shake to combine.¼ cup olive oil, ¼ cup fresh lemon juice, Zest from 1 unwaxed lemon, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 teaspoon dijon mustard, Kosher salt
- To assemble the salad, toss the quinoa, blanched asparagus, scallions, peas, dill, and mint in a large mixing bowl. Add the dressing and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.3 scallions, 1 cup shelled peas, ¼ cup fresh mint, ¼ cup fresh dill
- Serve the salad chilled or at room temperature with sliced avocado and a handful of toasted almonds.
Notes
Nutrition
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