Spinach and Quinoa Salad with Grapefruit and Avocado

This salad is loaded with vitamin C, A, Potassium and good heart-healthy fats!!

There is something wonderful to me about biting into a salad with grapefruit. It's juicy and refreshing and lends a sort of bitter-sweetness to each bite. If you are not a fan of grapefruit this is also great with oranges or you could even do a combination.

Let's talk about quinoa pronounced (KEEN-wah).

It surprises me how many people have never even heard of quinoa. Quinoa is an amino acid-rich (protein) seed from South America with a slight nutty, earthy taste. It's also gluten-free and a great way to add protein to vegetarian diets.

I love using it in soups, in place of rice, but it's also wonderful in salads. It comes in a variety of colors such as orange, pink, red, or black. I found this tri-color variety in Trader Joe's, use whatever variety you wish.


Spinach and Quinoa Salad with Grapefruit and Avocado
Skinnytaste.com
Servings: 4 • Serving Size: 1/4th • Old Points: 5 pts • Points+: 6 pts
Calories: 222 • Fat: 12.9 g • Protein: 4.5 g • Carb: 25.5 g • Fiber: 5.9 g • Sugar: 1.6 g
Sodium: 26.8 mg (without salt)


Ingredients:

• 4 oz baby spinach
• 2 ruby red grapefruits, peeled and fruit separated, reserving 3 slices
• 1 haas avocados, diced
• 1 cup cooked quinoa (1/3 cup dry)

For the Citrus Vinaigrette:

• 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 1/2 tbsp champagne vinegar
• 2 tbsp chopped shallots
• salt and pepper to taste
• grapefruit juice from 3 reserved slices of grapefruit

Directions:

Rinse quinoa well under cold water and cook according to package directions. Drain and let it cool.

Peel the skin and white membrane off the grapefruit and separate the pieces. Reserve three grapefruit slices for the vinaigrette and squeeze the juice; set aside. Cut up the remaining grapefruit into small pieces for the salad.

In a medium bowl whisk the olive oil, grapefruit juice (from 3 slices of grapefruit), vinegar, chopped shallots, salt and pepper.

In a large bowl toss spinach, quinoa, avocado, grapefruit and vinaigrette.

Divide between four plates.