Salad for breakfast? Oh yeah! Breakfast Quinoa Salad
The salad kick continues.
Hey, I told you it was so bad that I’d even created a “Breakfast Salad”, didn’t I?
Well… see? I wasn’t lying!
Here it is, in all its glory!
I initially meant to make that a “one person” salad, but I think I got a bit carried away, and it ended up being this HUGE salad that could very well have fed an army of starving soldiers.
Well, ok, I’m exaggerating once again, but seriously, this one could easily feed 3 or even 4 hungry people.
Yes, even people who have JUST finished working out.
The good thing is I got to enjoy it over the course of several days instead of just that one morning, AND it also allows me to tell you that it will keep somewhat well in the fridge for a few days…
Sure, the fruits might not look quite as dashing on the 3rd day as they did on the first, but still. The salad looked good enough for me to really look forward to having a bowl after my morning workout.
Now, if you take a look at the list of ingredients, you will probably find it a little weird at first, but believe me, it all blends in beautifully.
Topped with cottage cheese, coconut shavings and a tiny little drizzle of honey, it was just plain superb. Sure sent me straight to heaven!
Breakfast just doesn’t really get any better than this, guys.
You get hit by so many flavors and textures, it’s like total bliss for your mouth. Plus, you get to put a whole bunch of veggies, tons of fruits as well as a decent amount of protein, which can be found in the quinoa and almonds, into your tummy.
And for a little bit of added protein (and even more om-n0m-ness) garnish with a little bit of low fat cottage cheese or fat free Greek yogurt.
Oh my! Be.still.my.heart.
This one is simply packed with flavor AND wholesome goodness.
And hey, it’s not because I decided to call it a breakfast salad that you ABSOLUTELY have to have it for breakfast.
It also makes for a magnificent snack, lunch, or even light dinner, why not?
Now before I go, I’ve one more thing to say.
Please, don’t throw rocks at me…
I STILL have more salads coming! As in, quite a few more…
BUT HEY, WHOA, WAIT!
I also have other things lined up, you know. Like a gorgeous Blueberry Pancake Batter Smoothie, for instance.
Or… hum, hey! How does Dark Chocolate Hazelnut Spread (aka Nutella) sound to you?
Perhaps you’d prefer a Chicken Parmesan in a light, grilled, summer version?
Or maybe a fragrant Cedar Plank Salmon would tickle your fancy?
Well, I’ve got all that coming, as well as MANY other decadently healthy eats…
See? I’m not completely totally obsessed with salads…
Just yet! 😉
Oh, and by the way guys, just as a little ps note, in case you didn’t already know…
I GOT YET A THIRD FLAT TIRE THIS PAST WEEK-END!!!
Breakfast Quinoa Salad
Ingredients
- 1 cup leftover cooked quinoa, cooled
- 1 ripe avocado, diced
- 1 Granny Smith apple, diced
- 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded, membrane removed, finely chopped
- 1 cup fresh blueberries
- 1 cup mango cubes, I used frozen
- 1 cup fresh raspberries
- 2 collard leaves, shredded
- ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
- ¼ cup fresh mint, chopped
Vinaigrette
- 2 tbsp cidar vinegar
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
- 1 tbsp liquid unpasteurized honey
- juice of one lime
Garnish ideas
- Low fat cottage cheese
- Fat free Greek yogurt
- Unpasteurized liquid honey
- Toasted sliced almonds
- Toasted coconut shavings
Instructions
- If you don't have any leftover cooked quinoa, you'll need to cook some of that first. To get the required cup, bring 1 cup of water to a boil. Meanwhile, in a fine meshed sieve, rinse ½ cup of quinoa under running water until it no longer "foams" at the surface.
- Add to boiling water, bring back to the boil then lower heat, cover and simmer for about 8-10 minutes, until all the water is evaporated. Allow to cool completely.
- In a small mixing bowl, add all the ingredients of the vinaigrette and whisk until well incorporated. Set aside.
- Add the rest of the ingredients to a large mixing bowl, pour vinaigrette in and give all that a good stir until all the ingredients are well combined.
- Serve immediately or leave in the fridge for a few hours to allow flavors to develop.
- Garnish as desired
Notes
If you’ve tried this recipe, please take a minute to rate the recipe and let me know how things went for you in the comments below. It’s always such a pleasure to hear from you!
You can also FOLLOW ME on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM and TWITTER for more delicious, healthy recipes!
21 Comments on “Salad for breakfast? Oh yeah! Breakfast Quinoa Salad”
Yet another amazing salad! Love it! And I can’t wait to see that Nutella that you promised 🙂
Awww, thanks! So no rocks from you yet, Elana?
And that recipe is coming soon. Promise. Before the weekend is over, you should be able to whip up a batch!
You had me at jalapeño! When I get all of these ingredients this is happening!
YAY! Make sure you let me know how you liked it! I always appreciate getting feedback on my creations, especially those that I really liked. And this was definitely one of them. I hope it works for you too! 🙂
Beautiful and refreshing! I can’t wait to try this recipe.
A different and very attractive salad which I shall certainly prepare, but probably for my High Tea as the evening beckons [ie my second most important meal, as working from home, I have a full lunch]. In the mornings I am quite a stick-in-the-mud with herring/raw onion/cottage cheese or smoked eel or even yesterday’s curry on grainy toast 🙂 ! Plus a big mug of black coffee, of course! Must compliment you on the photos 🙂 !
Oh my… you and I definitely are not on the same page as far as breakfast is concerned. For some reason, I have a really hard time doing “savory” in the morning, so my breakfasts always tend to be on the sweet side. Eggs are probably the “savoriest” (is that even a word?) thing I would do in the morning, so fish and onions would seriously not work for me. Sounds like a great dinner, though! 😉
Oh, and thank you for your compliments on the photos. I always appreciate those… 😉
I absolutely love your photography…of course the recipe too.
Check out my blog too at http://www.fitfabulousmom.com
XO,
Shadow
Awwww, thank you so much, Shadow, I truly appreciate that!
I really like your blog! Love the layout and the super clean look. Of course, great content too! I’ll have to go back and read a few articles that sound very interesting. Thanks for sharing the link! 🙂
I am so excited to try a fruity quinoa salad. I’ve been going crazy on quinoa lately, trying to pack in the protein wherever I can and I’m always obsessed with fruit so this is perfect 😀
Sure is! You get your fruit and your protein too! I hope you like it, Heidi! 🙂
Oooo, you know I love quinoa right? And this looks just brilliant! Morning, noon or night. Love it!
I am all about salad for breakfast! Its nice to see someone else who does it and doesn’t look at you like a crazy person! I will have to try this one.
Hehe! Good to hear! Thanks for saying I don’t sound crazy…
Hope this one qualifies as a satisfying breakfast for you if you end up trying it! 🙂
Do you know around how many calories this is??? I’ve been looking for a yummy breakfast quinoa recipe. This just might be it!
I added the nutritional information Dana. Hope it fits your needs! 🙂
I love that you put the nutritional info in your recipes. How do you determine this? Definitely making this for my breaks tomorrow!
Thanks Elizabeth! I use an online software that does pretty much all the work for me. All I need to do is make sure that it’s using the correct base ingredients to start with! 🙂 Hope you liked this salad!
I made this for a brunch and the ladies loved it. What a great blend of flavors! I used Greek yogurt, almonds, raw honey and coconut as toppings and let them chose. Thank you for this recipe! I don’t think I would have ever put all these great flavors together but it really worked.
So glad to hear, and thank you so much for taking the time to leave such great feedback, Jennifer! I truly appreciate that! 🙂