Quinoa Strawberry Salad with Basil & Citrus-Maple Vinaigrette

The basic idea for this salad comes from Eating Well magazine (April 2020). I didn't follow it exactly--what I threw together is listed below--but it's all the same thing, really. It's the citrus-maple vinaigrette that really tempted me. The fact that our local strawberries are available now, and my basil plant is growing gang-busters right now were definitely contributing factors...fresh, local summer flavors at their peak!

Ingredients

¼ C olive oil

2 T lemon juice

2 T maple syrup

pinch each salt & pepper

2½ C cooked quinoa

1 C chopped, fresh strawberries

½ C crumbled feta

3 T packed, chopped or torn fresh basil leaves

Directions

Cook the quinoa according to pkg directions (I used only water and a generous pinch of salt) and chill.

Whisk together first 4 ingredients for the vinagrette.

Pour vinagrette over strawberries, feta, and 2 T of the chopped basil in a bowl; gently stir into chilled quinoa. Garnish with remaining basil to serve.

This amount would serve 3-4 as a side. Put it over a bed of greens (including some more basil--yum!) and it could easily be stretched to feed more diners.