Quinoa Pesto and Strawberry Spinach Salad

At work, people joke about scheduling. They say the board schedules school right up to your breaking point, right up to the point where you're going to crack, and then they give you a week off. In that week, you rest, you rejuvenate, and then you return ready to make it through the last two and a half months.

Now, I wasn't anywhere near snapping before break, but all the same, I welcome it with open arms. And so in the spirit of the holiday, and the desire to use up leftovers, I decided to make some refreshing spring salads for this week.

Both of these salads were extremely simple, and yet extremely satisfying.
While the base ingredients are relatively plain, each dish had flavors bursting forth from the roasted tomatoes and the strawberries. I honestly couldn't decide which I liked better. They were that good.

Because these were made in large batches, either would be an excellent option to bring to a dinner, holiday, BBQ, etc.  What's also great is that they are both vegetarian, and if you have any vegan friends, you can easily get rid of the cheese. (Although, I love goat cheese so much; it would be hard to part with).

 So without further ado, here are your ingredients.

Quinoa Pesto Salad

Start off by slicing the grape tomatoes in half. (I already had done this, hence why there are no grape tomatoes in the picture above). Coat the tomatoes in olive oil, minced garlic, onion powder, garlic powder, oregano, and basil. Spread them out on a baking sheet.

Place these in the oven set on 200 degrees for 2 hours. I've also seen recipes that roast them on 400 degrees for 25 minutes...if you're in a rush, that works too. Basically you wait until they look shriveled and wrinkly.

While those are baking/roasting, begin cooking your spinach down. I grabbed a couple handfuls of spinach. I wanted there to be spinach in the dish, but not taking over the dish. I tossed them with olive oil, minced garlic, and salt. Here's a comparison of how the spinach will cook down.

Next, move on to your quinoa. Because this was a bigger patch, I used 2 cups quinoa to 4 cups water. Follow the instructions on the packaging. 

Remember, if you're cooking it the day of, it will be a warm salad; otherwise, you can put it in the refrigerator to cool overnight.
Once the quinoa is done and slightly cooled, transfer it to a big bowl. Add 1/2 a container of pesto and mix. Last, add the spinach, tomatoes, and a couple handfuls of mozzarella cheese.

Voila!

Here's the smaller list of ingredients and instructions for both.

Quinoa Pesto Salad
Ingredients
-2 containers of grape tomatoes
-1 tbs oregano
-1 tbs basil
-1 tbs garlic powder
-1 tbs onion powder
-3 tbs minced garlic
-2 tbs olive oil
-1.5 cups fresh spinach
-2 cups quinoa
-1/2 cup pesto
-1/2 cup shredded mozzarella

 Instructions
Slice the grape tomatoes in half. Coat with olive oil, spices, and 2 tbs minced garlic. Spread out on a pan. Place in the oven at 200 degrees for 2 hours.
Place 3-4 handfuls of spinach in a small pan. Drizzle olive oil and saute on medium heat with 1tbs minced garlic and a pinch of salt. Cook until spinach wilts.
Measure out 2 cups of quinoa and 4 cups water into a pot. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer and cover for 15 minutes.
Transfer slightly cooled quinoa into a bowl and mix with 1/2 cup of pesto. Mix in spinach and tomatoes. Sprinkle 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella. 
Serve either warm or cool.

 Strawberry Spinach Salad

Ingredients
-1 bag fresh spinach
-5-6 sliced strawberries
-1-1.5 tbs crumbled goat cheese
-handful of roughly chopped pecans
-Kraft Strawberry Balsamic Dressing
-Balsamic Vinaigrette


Instructions

In a small container create a mixture of half Kraft and half Balsamic Vinegar. 
Place spinach in a large bowl. Toss with sliced strawberries, crumbled goat cheese, and chopped pecans. When ready to serve, drizzle dressing mixture onto salad.