ROSEMARY ALMOND SALAD
Refreshing and filling vegan Rosemary Almond Salad, made with spinach, arugula, blueberries, pear, vegan feta, quinoa, carrots, toasted almonds and a rosemary dressing.
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This salad is everything you want a salad to be! It’s sweet, savory, refreshing, and will keep you full for hours without weighing you down. Loaded with veggies, sweetened with fruit, bulked up with quinoa, and topped with toasted almonds tossed in a rosemary dressing…this Rosemary Almond Salad is everything you need on a warm, sunny afternoon.
TOASTED ALMONDS WITH ROSEMARY DRESSING
I am obsessed with rosemary. I am especially obsessed with rosemary when it is paired with fruits and sweets. So I wanted to take that combo and bring it to a superfood salad. The combination of toasted almonds with a sweet, tangy, rosemary dressing is to die for!
To make this beautiful combo happen I started by toasting sliced almonds. I then added a couple of sprigs of fresh rosemary, lemon, red wine vinegar, olive oil, agave, and a touch of salt. This combo is sweet, salty, citrusy, and savory! It would be excellent just simply served on bread, but really brings this Rosemary Almond Salad to life!
QUINOA
Quinoa is an edible seed that is classified as a whole grain. It is high in protein and fiber. Actually, one cup of quinoa has about twice as much protein and 5 more grams of fiber than rice! So it’s an excellent way to keep you full for hours.
Quinoa is also a sponge when it comes to absorbing dressing or sauce, so it’s a little flavor powerhouse.
Best of all, if you cook quinoa correctly without over-cooking it, it can be mixed into a salad and stored for days without becoming soggy or weird.Â
VEGAN FETA CHEESE
Vegan cheese has come a long way since it originally hit store shelves. There are some truly amazing vegan options out there that are incredibly close in flavor and texture to the dairy cheeses they are trying to mimic. One of my favorite vegan cheeses that I have come across thus far is feta cheese. Follow Your Heart has an amazing version of crumbled vegan feta and Violife has a good version of sliceable feta. For this recipe in particular I went with Violife so I could have slices of the cheese. Plus it is slightly less tart than Follow Your Heart, and I was looking for something more mild.
ROSEMARY ALMOND SALAD
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup cooked quinoa Follow instructions on packaging. Add vegan bouillon cube or salt for more flavor. 1 cup of uncooked quinoa makes about 3 cups of cooked quinoa.
- 2.5 oz baby spinach and arugula
- 1 cup blueberries
- 1/4 cup vegan feta
- 1 purple carrot, grated
- salt and black pepper to taste
FOR ALMONDS AND ROSEMARY DRESSING
- 1/4 cup sliced almonds
- 3 tbsp water
- 2 tbsp agave or maple syrup
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 4 springs of fresh rosemary more or less to taste
- pinch of salt
Instructions
PREPARE ALMONDS AND ROSEMARY DRESSING
- In a non-stick skilled toast sliced almonds over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until browned
- Add the rest of the ingredients under "Almonds and Rosemary Dressing"
- **Leave the sprigs of Rosemary whole, do not chop them up or pull the leaves off. You will be removing them from the dressing after they infuse their flavor
- Allow to cook down for about 5 minutes. There will not be a lot of liquid remaining, but do not allow it to totally dissolve. Remove from heat
- Remove rosemary sprigs from pan. Allow everything in the pan to cool.
- **If you desire more liquid for the dressing, just double the recipe
PREPARE YOUR INGREDIENTS
- Cook quinoa if needed. I like to make larger batches of quinoa at the beginning of the week so it's ready to go when needed. To add more flavor to your quinoa add a vegan Bouillon cube or salt and pepper.
- Grate carrots and slice pears
- Sice vegan feta
PUT IT ALL TOGETHER
- In a large bowl add spinach, arugula, carrot, blue berry, quinoa, and half of the vegan feta. I add only half of the vegan feta because I like some to be mushed in with the salad dressing and some of it intact in larger pieces.
- Top with the almonds and rosemary dressing
- Mix with hands until evenly distributed. Don't be afraid to add a little pressure to smush cheese and blueberries a little bit into the greens.
PLATE AND SERVE
- Split the mixed salad between two bowls
- Top with pears and remaining vegan feta
- Serve and enjoy!
