An Italian-inspired meal made even more heart-healthy and protein-packed with quinoa!

Caprese Quinoa Salad - An Italian-inspired meal made even more heart-healthy and protein-packed with quinoa!

So I had a bit of a revelation the other day. A scary revelation might I add.

Okay, here goes.

I don’t think I could EVER be a parent.

See, I was with my niece and nephews the other night, playing around and jumping on the bed, as usual. But my nephew, Aiden, fell off the bed twice, resulting in a backwards summersault to the floor, which prompted two panic attacks on my end.

Apparently, my freak outs freak the kids out.

So Jason and I are working on me “chilling” when this stuff happens. But man, oh man, is it hard.

Caprese Quinoa Salad - An Italian-inspired meal made even more heart-healthy and protein-packed with quinoa!

But I’ll tell you what’s not hard. This salad here. It comes together in just minutes, giving you that classic Italian caprese flavors in a more health-conscious manner using quinoa and avocado, leaving you with a summer dish that’s so perfect, so light and oh-so-refreshing.

And you know I’ll only be using Bob’s Red Mill‘s quinoa – an Oregon-based company that utilizes simple, old-world technology to mill hundreds of all-natural whole grain products, manufacturing natural foods in the natural way.

Sometimes natural is just the best way to go!

Caprese Quinoa Salad

Caprese Quinoa Salad

Yield: 4 servings
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Total: 20 minutes
An Italian-inspired meal made even more heart-healthy and protein-packed with quinoa!
5 stars (2 ratings)
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Ingredients

  • 1 cup Bob’s Red Mill quinoa
  • 8 ounces mozzarella, diced
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
  • ½ cup fresh basil leaves, chiffonade
  • 1 avocado, halved, seeded, peeled and diced
  • 2 tablespoons pine nuts
  • ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions

  • In a large saucepan of 2 cups water, cook quinoa according to package instructions; set aside.
  • In a large bowl, combine quinoa, mozzarella, tomatoes, basil, avocado and pine nuts. Stir in balsamic vinegar and olive oil; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
  • Serve immediately.

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Disclosure: Bob’s Red Mill provided me with their quinoa for review. All opinions expressed are my own.