Strawberry-Arugula Salad with Toasted Almonds and Mint
Vegetarian cooking hasn't always been my thing. Naturally, I tend toward steak and veggies, or chicken and veggies, or shrimp and veggies. But as I age, I can't deny that I feel better when my plate is loaded with veggies and the animal protein is a smaller part of the equation. My stomach thanks me. My waistline thanks me. My skin thanks me. For this book, I wanted to create recipes that are loaded with veggies, protein, and as many colors of the rainbow as possible. This arugula salad packs such a punch. The quinoa provides the protein, while the strawberries are chock-full of vitamin C. And we all know by now that we need as much green in our diets as possible! To me, this is the perfect salad. Feta can be really salty, so if you're using it, you may want to leave out the kosher salt. Photo: Andee McKenzie
Ingredients
- 6 cups baby arugula
- 1 cup cooked quinoa
- 1 cup strawberries, hulled and sliced
- 1/2 cup roasted, salted almonds, coarsely chopped
- 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
- Kosher salt
- 3 to 4 Tbsp Lemon Vinaigrette
- 1/4 cup crumbled sheep's milk feta (optional)
For Lemon Vinaigrette
- 2 Tbsp honey
- 2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- Kosher Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
For Lemon Vinaigrette
- In a medium bowl, whisk the honey and mustard to combine.
- Whisk in the lemon juice and then the oil. Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
For Salad
- Combine the arugula, quinoa, strawberries, almonds, onion, mint, and 1/2 tsp salt in a large bowl.
- Add 3 Tbsp of the vinaigrette and toss to coat. Taste and add the remaining 1 Tbsp vinaigrette and additional salt as desired. Sprinkle with the feta (if using) and serve.
Notes
Reprinted from The Vibrant Life by Amanda Haas with permission by Chronicle Books, 2019
Welcome to Amanda Haas Cooks Friends! My cooking style focuses on improving our health by eating real food. My motto: “I make food that tastes so good, you don’t even realize it’s good for you!”.
