Cucumber Quinoa Salad With Blackberries

While quinoa is a great replacement for rice in savory dishes, it's also a

wonderful grain to incorporate into sweet dishes! This quinoa salad features spiralized cucumber noodles, almond milk, blackberries, slivered almonds, and mint. The gingery, creamy, almond butter vinaigrette makes this dish truly special.

Cucumber Quinoa Salad With Blackberries [Vegan]

Ingredients

For the Salad:

• 2 cups water
• 1 cup quinoa, uncooked
• 1/4 cup slivered almonds
• 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons fresh mint, minced
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• A pinch of pepper
• 1 large cucumber, spiralized
• 2 6-ounce packages of blackberries

For the Vinaigrette:

• 1/4 cup natural, creamy almond butter
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon agave nectar
• 2 teaspoons fresh ginger, minced
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• A pinch of salt

Preparation

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F. 3
2. In a large pot, bring the water to a boil. Once boiling, add in the quinoa, stir, and then cover the pot and reduce the heat to low. Cook until the quinoa has absorbed the water, about 15-20 minutes. Once cooked, transfer the quinoa to a large bowl and place into the refrigerator to chill for 10-15 minutes
3. While the quinoa chills, place the slivered almonds on a small pan and place into the oven. Bake until lightly golden brown and toasted, about 7-10 minutes. Watch them closely, as they burn quickly. Set aside.
4. Once chilled, add the mint, salt, and pepper to the quinoa and stir until evenly mixed.
5. Place the cucumber noodles on a paper towel and squeeze out as much moisture as you possibly can. Additionally, gently break apart any long noodles to make serving easier.
6. Place the cucumber noodles into the quinoa and toss until well mixed.
7. In a small, microwave-safe bowl, melt the almond butter until smooth and creamy, about 30-60 seconds. Then, stir in the red wine vinegar, agave nectar, and ginger until well mixed.
8. While whisking, stream in the olive oil until well incorporated into the vinaigrette. Finally, whisk in the almond milk and a pinch of salt.
9. Pour the vinaigrette over the quinoa and toss until the quinoa is well coated and creamy.
10. Gently toss in the blackberries and toasted almonds. Serve.

https://www.onegreenplanet.org/vegan-recipe/cucumber-quinoa-salad-with-blackberries/