March 6, 2013
Warm Arugula Salad with Quinoa and Goat Cheese
Whenever someone asks me why quinoa, one answer always jumps to the front of my mind. Versatility.
To me, quinoa is one of those ingredients that goes with everything. From savory appetizers to sweet desserts, I’ve tried it all, and although not all of my dishes are successful, playing around with quinoa has made gluten-free cooking so much more fun.
Written by: Alyssa Rimmer of Queen of Quinoa
Lately on Queen of Quinoa, my recipes have overwhelmingly gone in the sweet direction. I have a major sweet tooth, so I’ve been trying to create healthy treats that I can eat guilt free.
But like everything in life, there needs to be balance. It’s important to remember that with all sweet things there must be savory dishes to counteract those indulgences, even as healthy as they may be.
I’m the first to admit it, I enjoy dessert every single night. Whether it’s a raw truffle or a healthy cookie, I just love ending my night with a little something sweet. And I’m not planning to stop little habit any time soon. I’m a firm believer that it’s all about moderation and making healthy choices as much as possible.
Which is why I make it a point to eat greens at every one of my meals, including breakfast. I love green smoothies and juices in the morning, great big salads for lunch, and you can often find a pile of roasted veggies on the side of my dinner plate.
And one of my favorite things to do is to combine a giant bowl of greens with my oh-so-lovely quinoa. Quinoa helps to make your already healthy salad, into a supercharged bowl of nutrients by adding protein, fiber, vitamins and healthy carbs.
In my mind, this salad is the epitome of everything I love about quinoa. Arugula is one of those ingredients that needs something soft and mild to it balance out. Quinoa pairs perfectly with this bitter green because it’s gentle flavor lets the arugula shine, while mellowing out the spiciness that can sometimes overwhelm the dish.
The dressing, which is just a simple squirt of lemon juice, brightens the dish even more and is especially nice with the creamy, tang of the goat cheese. I could just go on and on about how awesome this salad is, but I think it would be more fun for you to just try it yourself!
Written by: Alyssa Rimmer of Queen of Quinoa
Lately on Queen of Quinoa, my recipes have overwhelmingly gone in the sweet direction. I have a major sweet tooth, so I’ve been trying to create healthy treats that I can eat guilt free.
But like everything in life, there needs to be balance. It’s important to remember that with all sweet things there must be savory dishes to counteract those indulgences, even as healthy as they may be.
I’m the first to admit it, I enjoy dessert every single night. Whether it’s a raw truffle or a healthy cookie, I just love ending my night with a little something sweet. And I’m not planning to stop little habit any time soon. I’m a firm believer that it’s all about moderation and making healthy choices as much as possible.
Which is why I make it a point to eat greens at every one of my meals, including breakfast. I love green smoothies and juices in the morning, great big salads for lunch, and you can often find a pile of roasted veggies on the side of my dinner plate.
And one of my favorite things to do is to combine a giant bowl of greens with my oh-so-lovely quinoa. Quinoa helps to make your already healthy salad, into a supercharged bowl of nutrients by adding protein, fiber, vitamins and healthy carbs.
In my mind, this salad is the epitome of everything I love about quinoa. Arugula is one of those ingredients that needs something soft and mild to it balance out. Quinoa pairs perfectly with this bitter green because it’s gentle flavor lets the arugula shine, while mellowing out the spiciness that can sometimes overwhelm the dish.
The dressing, which is just a simple squirt of lemon juice, brightens the dish even more and is especially nice with the creamy, tang of the goat cheese. I could just go on and on about how awesome this salad is, but I think it would be more fun for you to just try it yourself!
Tips for Making this Recipe
Did you know you can quickly cook quinoa in an Instant Pot when you’re preparing these Quinoa and Arugula Salad? Head over to my post: How to Make Quinoa in the Instant Pot for all the details!
Do you have a favorite way to use quinoa?
Warm Arugula Salad with Quinoa & Goat Cheese
Yield:
2
Prep Time:
10 minutes
Cook Time:
15 minutes
Total Time:
25 minutes
A bright salad that is perfect for lunch or dinner and is loaded with healthy ingredients. Naturally gluten-free and simply delicious, this salad will sure to please your whole family!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup white quinoa
- 1 cup water
- 3 cups arugula
- 1 oz goat cheese, crumbled
- 1/2 of a lemon, juiced
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Bring the quinoa and water to a boil in a small saucepan. Cover and reduce to low. Let simmer for 10 minutes, or until all the water has been absorbed and the quinoa is fluffy. Keep covered for another 3 minutes, then fluff with a fork and transfer to a mixing bowl.
- Add the arugula to the bowl with the hot quinoa and stir until the greens have wilted a bit. Squeeze the lemon juice over the salad and mix together. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Transfer the salads to two bowls and top with crumbled goat cheese bits.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
There are lots of additions you could make to this salad. It would be delicious with chopped nuts or cranberries, or topped with some grilled fish or chicken for added protein. Or enjoy it as is for a light, healthy lunch or dinner!
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 2 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 103Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 7mgSodium: 229mgCarbohydrates: 12gFiber: 2gSugar: 1gProtein: 5g
GoodLifeEats.com offers recipe nutritional information as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although GoodLifeEats.com makes every effort to provide accurate information, these figures are only estimates.
When using quinoa I toast it first in a dry frying pan, then add chicken or vegetable broth to cook it, THEN add it to the recipe I am making. I added dried cranberries to the above salad and offered balsamic glaze as a dressing. I served at a lupus fund raiser. The guests gobbeled it down.
sounds fantastic!
Made this to take to work for lunch this week. Absolutely delicious. One addition I made was to cook the quinoa with chicken broth instead of water.
Glad you liked it! Love the idea of using the broth instead of water.
I just made this, holy cow LOVE IT. Picked arugula from my little garden :), ohhh YUM.
Thank you for discovering this awesome dish
🙂
Organic Mom (Facebook) aka Heather
I can’t wait to try this tonight – I might just have to throw some toasted pine nuts on top as well – yum! Thanks for posting 🙂
I think toasted pine nuts would make this already awesome dish over the top good!!
Delicious! Just made it for my parents and siblings and everyone loved it. I added kalamata olives, cherry tomatoes, and artichoke hearts to the salad instead of nuts or dried fruit and served it with salmon. Really good!
Thanks so much for the recipe. I’ll definitely recommend it.
I recently just started my own food blog and always love checking out other food blogs for inspiration. Quinoa salad with goat cheese! YUM!! I have to make this soon!
I just made this for dinner last night… SO DELICIOUS!! I sauteed some yellow & green bell peppers & red cabbage at high heat for added color & variety. I also toasted my quinoa prior to cooking & then put a beef boullion cube in while it boiled to give it an intense burst of flavor. And it was soooo good! Will make again for sure! My mom loved it too 🙂 didn’t need any salt or seasonings, just used garlic & herb goat cheese. Gosh what a delicious meal!
Wow Loretti, your salad sounds delicious! I love all the add-ons that you threw in there. I’ll have to give toasting the quinoa a try and see how it changes the flavor. I usually only do that with my baking, but I’m sure it would be absolutely divine with a bright salad like this.
Love it! So simple and easy, yet so delicious. I think I wouldn’t be able to resist throwing some avocado in there 🙂
You know, avocado is a splendid idea. I think this would also be great tossed in a creamy avocado dressing. Mmm….now you’ve really got me thinking 😉
Alyssa, this sounds amazing- you’ve combined three of my favorite foods into one dish! I like mixing quinoa with roasted veggies in the winter. Yum!
Me too! That’s one of my favorite meals of all time. And then grilled veggies for the summer!
his sounds so good!!! Is it 1/2 cup of lemon juice?
Or is it 1/2 of a lemon’s juice?
Hi Erika – it’s actually 1/2 of a lemon juiced. Sorry about the typo! Hope you enjoy the salad 🙂
It was delicious!!! Thank you!
This looks so tasty! Love this idea!
Thanks Katrina! It’s a seriously delicious salad 🙂