Spinach Salad with Strawberries and Quinoa

Enjoy this Strawberry and Spinach Salad with a healthy helping of multicolor quinoa and topped with creamy avocado slices and candied pecans.

📝 Ingredients

• 12 ounces of baby spinach
• 12 strawberries, sliced
• 1 cup uncooked quinoa (or about 3 cups cooked)
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1/4-1/2 tsp salt to taste
• 1/4 cup candied pecans or toasted pecan, chopped
• 1 Hass Avocado, sliced
• Creamy Balsamic Dressing

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1--- How to Cook Quinoa ---
2. 2Heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil in a medium saucepan for which you have a tight lid. Add the quinoa and sauté for 1-2 minutes, stirring often, so it's well coated with the oil. Add 1 1/3 cups of water and the salt. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until all the water has been absorbed and quinoa is tender, but not mushy. Remove from heat and set aside to cool for 15 minutes, then fluff it up with a fork. See note 4 to learn about different ways of cooking quinoa.
3. 3Place the spinach in a large bowl, top it with the cooked quinoa, strawberries, and avocado. Pour as much balsamic dressing as desired. Mix well and top with pecans.