Strawberries in a savory salad work, they really do. Especially when paired with aromatic herbs like mint, basil and complemented with salty feta. It’s a lovely one to ring in spring or summer and also perfect to bring for a picnic or barbecue with friends because it is just so darn pretty.
I’ve added quinoa here to make it more of a meal, but you can omit if serving as an appetizer or first course.
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry quinoa, cooked as per package directions
- 1 tsp cumin
- 11/2 to 2 cups strawberries, sliced into 4
- 1/2 bunch mint (about a 1 cup of mint leaves), cut into slivers – set a few whole ones aside to decorate
- 10 basil leaves, cut into slivers
- 1 cup feta, crumbled
- 1 avocado, diced
- 6-8 cups rocket or baby spinach, cleaned and dried (about 1 large packet)
- 1/2 cup walnuts
Dressing
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 pinch salt
- Pepper
Instructions
- Mix all dressing ingredients and set aside
- Pour quinoa in a large bowl and toss in the cumin, mint (except for the leaves set aisde to decorate), basil, feta, strawberries and avocado
- Place all the rocket into another large bowl
- When ready to serve the salad:
- Mix in a third of the dressing into the rocket and toss lightly
- Mix in another third of dressing into the quinoa strawberry bowl and toss
- Serve some rocket on each plate, add a few big spoonfuls of the quinoa strawberry mix, then toss 2-3 walnuts and a few decorative mint leaves on top. Serve immediately