Quinoa, Black Bean & Strawberry Salad

Photo courtesy California Strawberries

While berries are now available all year long, for berry eaters, this is an exciting time of year as local offerings become available. Strawberries are first on the market and while eating them naked is definitely a taste treat, you can’t really have too many recipes.

If you’re not a fruit eater, including berries in savoury dishes is a wonderful way to reap their nutritional benefits. Strawberries are packed with an array of disease-fighting compounds including those that protect against high blood pressure, diabetes and certain cancers.

Here’s a  delicious offering adapted from California Strawberries.

Quinoa, Black Bean, & Strawberry Salad

Makes 4-6 servings

Ingredients

Salad
1 tsp vegetable oil
1 small onion chopped (½ cup)
2 garlic cloves chopped
¾ cup quinoa uncooked
1 1/2 cups sodium-reduced chicken or vegetable broth
1 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup frozen corn kernels
1 540-mL can low-sodium black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup fresh cilantro chopped
2 cups California strawberries, cut in quarters
4 to 5 cups baby spinach

Strawberry Dressing
1/2 cup California strawberries quartered
1 to 2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1 Tbsp honey
Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic, and cook until lightly browned.

Add quinoa, broth and seasonings. Bring mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for about 20 minutes or until water is absorbed.

Stir in corn and black beans and let cool or store overnight in refrigerator.

In the meantime, mix all strawberry dressing ingredients in a blender. Blend for 30 seconds or until all the ingredients are well blended. Set aside in a small pitcher.

To serve:
Fold in  strawberries and cilantro. Serve cold over a bed of baby spinach leaves and drizzle strawberry dressing over plated quinoa salad.

Nutrition information per serving:
• Calories: 269
• Protein: 8 grams
• Fat: 13 grams
• Saturated fat: 2 grams
• Carbohydrate: 33 grams
• Dietary fibre: 9 grams
• Sodium: 275 milligrams