Quinoa Salad with Spinach Grapefruit & Avocado
This Quinoa Salad with Spinach Grapefruit and Avocado is loaded with vitamin C, A, Potassium and good heart-healthy fats!!
Quinoa Salad with Spinach Grapefruit & Avocado
Quinoa Salad with Spinach Grapefruit & AvocadoMore easy quinoa salad recipes I love are Protein Egg and Quinoa Salad Jars (perfect for on-the-go!), Quinoa Tabbouleh (from The Skinnytaste Cookbook), and Quinoa Chickpea Avocado Salad.
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.
Quinoa Salad with Spinach Grapefruit & Avocado
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
Instructions
- 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.
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This is a favorite recipe in our house – Love it!!!
I sprinkled a bit of feta cheese on top as a garnish, and it was fantastic! Wonderful summer salad!
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bedava film izle
I made this last night and it was so good. I will be making it all summer long.
I made this for lunch after yoga today and it was absolutely fantastic. I mixed the champagne vinegar with regular balsamic, though, as white vinegars tend to be too tart for me. I also used black quinoa, it was awesome.
I tried this recipe last night and it was great! The dressing was a little sour for me, so I added some raw sugar. Great vegetarina option:)
Does anyone follow the South Beach Diet? I am in Phase One and am wondering if quinoa is allow on that Phase. It seems like I could eat it since it is a seed and not a grain. Any idea?
I made this last night for a dinner I had with friends. Everyone loved it. Great way to enjoy a healthy side salad on a pizza night with friends! Delicious and will totally make it again
Thanks you very nice
This was delicious! I've made this a few times now with a few variations, I had to reblog about it, thanks for the great recipe!
http://theinvestmentboenker.blogspot.com/2012/04/oh-my-salad.html
I'm so glad you all liked it!!
This was awesome, I made it for the first time Sunday for Easter, and the bowl was wiped out. I also loved trying two new ingredients the quinoa, and the champagne vinegar. It was so good I made a smaller amount for lunch today.
Made this tonight – yummy! Thanks for all the amazing recipes!
I made this. We couldn't find the champagne vinegar so I used a grapefruit vinegar that I found at an amazins vinegar store in PA on a trip last summer. I just reduced the juice of grapfruit to squeezing one section. I love quinoa. I discovered it a few years ago at the suggestion of a way to bulk up my protein from my midwife. I have loved it ever since. Even my baby ate it as one of his first table foods.
Made this tonight and love it. Next time, I would add shrimp to make it a meal.
Im really bad at eyeballing portions….do you know roughly what a serving size is? Thanks!!
I made this last night for a dinner I had with friends. Everyone loved it. Great way to enjoy a healthy side salad on a pizza night with friends! Delicious and will totally make it again.
This looks yummy!!I love red grapefruit, I find it sweeter than the yellow and the pink and I love spinach! I have to give quinoa another go, tried it a couple of times but came out bitter.
Made this tonight for dinner and it was AMAZING! Will make this again for sure. Substituted white wine vinegar for the champaign(couldn't find it in the store) and it turned out good. I'm sure champaign would be better but still i would give it a perfect 10!
Made this for lunch today!! Delicious!!
: )
So healthy looking…yum!I'm sure this will be good.
Can't wait to try this!
What a beautiful salad! It looks so colourful and healthy 🙂 I'm pretty sure I'd love it because spinach, quinoa and avocado are three of my favourite things!
Gina, another question about the champagne vinegar.
I have white balsamic vinegar. Will that work or what do you suggest as alternative? Thanks.
That works!
Can a vinegar other than champagne vinegar be used; if so, what would you suggest?
Thanks!
Sure, use white or apple cider vinegar.
Thanks so much for this recipe! All the photos are awesome. I shared it in my latest LIVE YOUR SPARKLE ezine http://tinyurl.com/77ubaxh Hope you don't mind! Sites like yours make healthy living fun! Thank you for all you do.
Warmest,
Paula Onysko | Sparkle & Sage
Oh I am so excited for this. I am new to Quinoa and starting a 10 day cleanse that introduces me to wonderful healthy food options like Q… but I had no idea how to add it into healthy foods. THANK YOU!
great!
Oooh, that looks yummy. Gonna have to try that one. Always on the lookout for new and delicious salads to try… just because you're trying to lose weight doesn't mean you have to sacrifice on taste!
I saw quinoa at Target the other day, but just wasn't sure what to do with it. Thanks for another great recipe.
I made this for dinner tonight. I topped it with a little seared tuna that I picked up from Whole Foods. It was absolutely delicious!
Yum!! Perfect dinner!
Oh, and I also added some cod to it that I had leftover from last night's dinner!
I guess I forgot to prove I wasn't a robot…Anyway, I tried this today, it was good. I am not a fan of grapefruit, but it wasn't bad. I would recommend to those that don't like grapefruit, use a pummelo, grapefruit like without being as acidic.
I would love some recipes using amaranth. Bought after seeing on Dr. Oz. It's good but needs lots of flavor. I just don't know what to do with it?? Love, love your recipes!! Thanks for your hard work.
I love this salad! Are you tried to add turkey breast? it has a lot of protein 🙂
quinoa is a superfood. it contains all of the essential amino acids, making it high in protein all on it's own. no need to add anything else just for the point of making sure to get protein. it is a pretty amazing seed :))
What a great combination of flavors! Love this salad. So wholesome and I bet delicious!
To section the grapefruit, I peel it first, then break it in half. Take one half and peel the skin off of one section. Then take the "meat" of the grapefruit out and put in a bowl. Take the skin off of the next section and so on until you have the whole grapfruit in large sections and easy to eat. It is a lot easier to handle than trying to peel each section one at a time.
Delicious!! I'm going back to school in a week and I've been looking for yummy healthy things to pack in a lunch. This sure beats a boring turkey sandwich! I figure I can just throw everything together and toss the dressing in right when I get set to eat. You always have the best recipes to keep my diet on the right track 😉
Cannot wait to try this when my daughter comes to visit. She is Vegan and I am always trying to find something new and different to serve when she visits. I think this one will be a hit!!!
Love this salad! Might have to make it for lunch!
gina what can we use if we cant find quinoa tks for all your wonderful recipes
You could leave it out, or use farro or cous cous
If you have a Wal-Mart close by, check there for quinoa. I know ours carries it.
yum! looks absolutely scrumptious! *love* avo + grapefruit together. thanks + have a fab weekend!
Can I just say – I have recently had to go on a low-fat diet because I had gallstones. Came across this website last week and the recipes look amazing! Wow. Cannot wait to try some! Thank you!
What a wonderful salad! I'm going to tr Quinoa tonight. I'm so curious to use it! I hope I love it!!
Great Jen!!
Have all ingredients on hand except for the champagne vinegar, what might I use in place of it?
Really excited to try this. We've enjoyed so many of your recipes!
I would try a sherry or white wine vinegar.
Looks fabulous and I will for sure make this recipe for a dinner salad. The other grain I have been introduced to late last year is Farro. Started a vegetarian diet last year which took me into new areas of preparing foods, which in turn introduced me to other ingredients I had never heard of, or ever eaten….like quinoa, kale, farro etc.
Gina, your website is truly amazing, the photos and easy instructions make it a highly recommended bookmark for all. Thanks for all your hard work, but know it is loved by many!
Yes, I love farro too. I need to add some recipes here for farro lovers!
Quinoa, spinach, grapefruit, and avocados? Yum!!
That looks so delicious! It's a great combination of flavours.
I have been on a salad kick. What a great way to add some variety. I cant wait to try this out. YUM
I wouldn't think to add avocado with grapefruit. Awesome idea!
I've been making this salad all winter but without the quinoa! I love it. I use walnut oil….I really love it's flavor. Also, I finally figured out how to section the grapefruit like a professional after watching this you tube video…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tbf9fGAC10
Great video; very helpful. Thanks for sharing the link!
Great link–thanks! I wouldn't have thought to look that up!
thanks for the video! love, love grapefruit.
This looks tasty! Thanks for sharing.
I love quinoa, but can never seem to find it anywhere. I wish they would put it in the regular grocery store. More people need to eat this healthy amazing food! This recipe looks fab!
They now sell it in many supermarkets, look again. Mine sells it!
Costco has an organic quinoa at a reasonable price!
you can get it at Target!
bobs old red mill sells it but i usually get it at the coop because it is cheaper to buy in bulk
Many stores have it in boxed or bulk but are located in different areas of the store so sometimes have to really look around. Comes in regular or gold. Love it in soup.
Have you ever shopped with Azure Standard? That is where I buy mine and it's much more affordable than my local store! www.azurestandard.com
what a gorgeous salad. I often use oranges in savory dishes, but forget about grapefruit. and let's face it: anything with an avocado is a win!
So true!
Can you use other fruit besides Grapefruit? Not a fan.
Use an orange.
If you have never tried a Cara Cara Navel, I would highly suggest it! I'm not a fan of grapefruit either but this navel is almost a cross between an orange and grapefruit and is absolutely DELICIOUS! I have been eating them for years and I have yet to have a bad one!
– Melissa
Blood Oranges
I lloovvee quinoa!! I feel like food blogging introduces you to more foods than the average person, though. Anyhoo, this salad looks great!!
I agree!!