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A bowl of gluten-free cold quinoa salad with oranges and spinach for a healthy dinner.
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5 from 1 vote

Vegan Quinoa Salad with Oranges and Spinach

We absolutely devoured this vegan quinoa salad with oranges and spinach. It is so quick and simple to make, is full of heart-healthy nutrients, and makes a great vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free and dairy-free lunch or dinner quinoa salad recipe!
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Course: lunch
Cuisine: American
Servings: 8 servings

Ingredients

Quinoa:

  • 1 ½ c quinoa rinsed and drained
  • 3 c water
  • ½ tsp salt

Orange Vinaigrette:

  • 2 Tbsp maple syrup pure
  • 2 Tbsp orange juice fresh
  • 3 Tbsp white wine vinegar
  • ½ c olive oil
  • ¼ tsp salt

Quinoa Salad:

  • 1 c bell peppers cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 1 c oranges cut into bite-sized pieces
  • ¾ c red onions finely chopped, soaked in ice water for 30 minutes
  • ¼ c cilantro finely chopped
  • ¼ c slivered almonds
  • Spinach

Instructions

Quinoa:

  • Cook quinoa in water with ½ tsp salt according to package directions. (I like to cook mine in a rice cooker! It comes out great every time.)
  • Let quinoa come to room temperature before combining with remaining ingredients.

Orange Vinaigrette:

  • In a small food processor combine maple syrup, orange juice, white wine vinegar and ¼ tsp salt. Puree for one minute.
  • Slowly add 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil to food processor, processing for 30 seconds after each addition.
  • Process orange vinaigrette for 1-2 minutes, or until it starts to slightly thicken.  Set aside until ready for quinoa salad assembly.

Quinoa Salad Assembly:

  • In a large bowl combine room temperature quinoa, bell peppers, oranges, red onions and cilantro.
  • Drizzle half of the vinaigrette over the quinoa and toss to combine. Add remaining vinaigrette until you have reached your desired amount. *
  • Chill quinoa salad for at least 2 hours before serving.
  • Serve quinoa salad over spinach and top with slivered almonds. Keep refrigerated between servings. Enjoy!

Notes

*If you are serving over spinach, you will most likely want to use all of the vinaigrette! If eating the quinoa salad by itself, you may want to use less dressing.

Nutrition

Calories: 297kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 227mg | Potassium: 335mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 675IU | Vitamin C: 39.7mg | Calcium: 48mg | Iron: 1.8mg