• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • about
  • Contact
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube

One Lovely Life

  • Recipes
  • lovely living
    • Books
    • favorite things
    • Travel
    • Disney
  • subscribe

Farmers’ Market Quinoa Salad (Gluten Free & Vegan)

Dairy FreeGluten FreeVegan
Jump to Recipe

June 12, 2019 | Leave a Comment |This post contains affiliate links.

Farmers’ Market Quinoa Salad – This fresh, summer quinoa salad is loaded with the best of summer produce. It’s the perfect light lunch or easy side for dinner all summer long! (Gluten Free, Vegan)

One Lovely Life's Farmers Market Quinoa Salad

I love the bright, fresh flavors and colors of summer! There are SO many delicious fruits and veggies in season. It makes it so fun to head to the grocery store or farmers’ market. Today’s recipe is a summer quinoa salad packed with some of my favorites from the season–sweet corn, avocado, tomatoes and more.

The simply, tangy dressing ties everything together making this a perfect light lunch or easy side to your favorite grilled main dish for dinner. Here’s all the goodness inside…

Ingredients for Farmers Market Quinoa Salad - Sweet Corn, spinach, avocado, red onion, fresh basil, grape tomatoes, cucumber, and quinoa Clear glass bowl with ingredients for Farmers' Market Quinoa Salad - Sweet Corn, spinach, avocado, red onion, fresh basil, grape tomatoes, cucumber, and quinoa

What’s in Farmers’ Market Quinoa Salad?

QUINOA – We start with a base of cooked quinoa. You can use white, tricolor, or red quinoa. (Not sure how to cook it? Here’s my fail-proof method for cooking perfect quinoa.)

SPINACH – The color is great, and the flavor melts into the background. In my opinion, it’s just an easy way to fit in some greens.

CUCUMBER – Cucumber adds a refreshing crunch to this salad. I prefer English cucumbers (sometimes labeled Seedless or Hothouse) or Persian cucumbers which have thinner skin. Use whatever works for you!

TOMATOES – I love grape or cherry tomatoes in this salad, but big, juicy heirloom tomatoes can be lovely, too! But again, use what’s on sale or what works for you.

AVOCADO –  I’ll put avocado on just about anything any day of the year, but summer is prime avocado time! I love adding some creamy diced avocado to my farmers market quinoa salad. Add a little, add a lot–your choice!

GREEN OR RED ONION – Green onion tends to work better for folks who don’t love raw onion, but finely minced red onion can be lovely here. (If you don’t want strong onion flavor, put your minced red onion in a small bowl of water for a few minutes before adding it to the salad. It helps mellow it out.)

BASIL – Fresh basil paired with the lemony dressing gives this a SUPER summery feel to me. I add a fair amount because I love the color and flavor. Feel free to add more or less to taste, or to swap it out for another fresh herb (see below for ideas!).

A SIMPLE LEMON DRESSING – Fresh lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper make a perfect dressing for this salad. I love the tang and how light the flavors are. So good!

Farmers' Market Quinoa Salad from One Lovely Life in a white bowl.

How to Serve this Farmers’ Market Quinoa Salad

One of the things I love best about this summer quinoa salad is how fresh and light it is. It makes a great lunch on a hot day, but it also works beautifully as a side dish. Here are some of our favorite ways to enjoy it:

  • Eat it alone as a light lunch or dinner. Pair with some (gluten free!) focaccia or watermelon on the side.
  • Enjoy it as a side dish to your favorite grilled proteins.
  • Pack it for meal prep to take on the go (I love these containers)
  • Serve it at potlucks, barbecues, and picnics. It packs beautifully and tastes great cold or at room temperature.

Close up view of Farmers Market Quinoa Salad from One Lovely Life

Change it Up! Try one of these variations on Farmers’ Market Quinoa:

Summer is the BEST time of year for fresh produce! The beauty of this summer quinoa salad is that you can always swap out the mix-ins for whatever you can find on sale at the grocery store or at your local market. Here are a few other yummy ideas:

  • Add zucchini, diced bell peppers, jicama, or roasted bell peppers. 
  • Try grilling some of your veggies (like corn, zucchini, onion, peppers, or tomatoes) in a grill basket before adding them to the salad for a bit of smokiness
  • Use red onion instead of green onion
  • Try swapping the basil for another fresh herb, like dill, cilantro, or parsley.
  • Mix up the greens! Feel free to add in some spinach, or swap it out for kale, chard, or your favorite greens.
  • Add little pieces of mozzarella (vegetarian), chicken (omnivore) or some white beans (vegan) to fill it out a bit more.

White bowl of Farmers' Market Quinoa Salad with sweet corn, avocado, cucumber, and tomatoes.

Tips & Tricks for the Best Summer Quinoa Salad:

HOW TO COOK QUINOA – If you’re new to quinoa or could use some cooking tips, this is my no-fail method for perfect, fluffy quinoa every time. I even include energy saving directions (which are my favorite). Pro tip: cooking it ahead of time makes this dinner come together in a FLASH!

GET THE BEST DRESSING – Especially when you’re using fewer ingredients, quality matters! I swear by good quality olive oil and balsamic for a dressing like this one. This olive oil and this balsamic are my go-to choices. (Use code “onelovelylife” for 10% off your first order). You can also experiment with flavored oils. I love their basil oil in this, but lemon is another fresh choice!

CAN I MAKE IT AHEAD OF TIME? Yep! This keeps pretty well. I’ve found the lemon juice and olive oil help keep the avocado from browning too much, but if you’re nervous, you can mix up the rest of the salad and add the avocado right before serving.

HOW LONG WILL IT KEEP? This summer quinoa salad will last about 5-6 days in the fridge, which makes it great for meal prep. (I love packing it in these containers)

More Summer Recipes to Love:

  • The BEST Healthy Homemade Popsicles
  • Vegan Broccoli Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing
  • Rainbow Fruit Salad
  • Cherry Berry Fruit Salad
Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon
White bowl of Farmer's Market Quinoa Salad with sweet corn, avocado, cucumber, and tomatoes.

Farmers’ Market Quinoa Salad (Gluten Free & Vegan)


  • Author: Emily from One Lovely Life
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 7 cups (6 heaping cup servings) 1x
Print Recipe
Pin Recipe

Description

Farmers’ Market Quinoa Salad – This fresh, summer quinoa salad is loaded with the best of summer produce. It’s the perfect light lunch or easy side for dinner all summer long! (Gluten Free, Vegan)


Ingredients

Scale
  • 3 cups cooked quinoa (from 1 cup uncooked)*
  • 1 cup roughly chopped baby spinach
  • 1 cup halved cherry or grape tomatoes
  • 1 cup diced cucumber
  • 1 cup cooked corn
  • 1 medium avocado, peeled, pit removed, and diced
  • 1/4 cup sliced green onion or minced red onion
  • 1/4–1/2 cup fresh basil**
  • Juice of 1 lemon (3–4 Tbsp)
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

  1. Add cooked quinoa to a large bowl.
  2. Add spinach, tomatoes, cucumber, corn, avocado, green onion, and basil.
  3. Drizzle lemon juice and olive oil over the salad.
  4. Add a generous pinch of salt and pepper and stir to coat well. Taste and add additional lemon juice, basil, salt or pepper, as desired.
  5. Chill until ready to serve. Salad will keep 5-6 days in the refrigerator.

Notes

*This is my favorite method for cooking quinoa.

**You can substitute other herbs or omit them. Use the same amount of parsley or cilantro. For dill, reduce amount to 3-4 Tbsp total.

  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Category: Salad, Main Dish
  • Method: Stovetop, No-Cook
  • Cuisine: American

Keywords: quinoa salad, summer quinoa salad, avocado, corn, tomatoes, basil, spinach, quinoa, vegan, vegetarian, summer side dish, summer salad, farmers market quinoa salad, vegan quinoa salad,

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @onelovelylife1 on Instagram and hashtag it #onelovelyrecipe

Collage of images of Farmers Market Quinoa Salad with text overlay that reads "Gluten Free & Vegan Farmers' Market Quinoa Salad" One Lovely Life's Farmer's Market Quinoa Salad with text overlay that reads "Gluten Free & Vegan Farmers' Market Quinoa Salad"

Filed Under: Dairy Free, Gluten Free, meatless main dishes, Salads, Vegan, vegetables & sides

Reader Interactions

Previous Post Gluten Free Focaccia with Rosemary (with Video!)
Next Post BLT Salad with Creamy Ranch Dressing (Gluten & Dairy Free!)

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

Primary Sidebar

about emily

Hi, I’m Emily! I create fresh, flexible family recipes to help you feel more confident in the kitchen. Whether you’ve got picky eaters, food allergies/intolerances to navigate, or just a serious craving to satisfy, I want to help you eat delicious, gorgeous meals without a lot of fuss.

let’s be friends

more about emily

Simplify Your Weekly Meal Plan With Our Free Mini-Course!

Learn how to DIY delicious meal plans in minutes to make meal planning a breeze.  

Privacy Policy

One Lovely Life will use the information you provide to be in touch with you & provide email updates.

join the lovely list + never miss a recipe

get recipes + tips + favorites + more by signing up below

Footer

  • Favorite Things
  • Our Home
  • Kids and Family
  • Travel
  • Disclosures
  • Privacy Policy
  • about
  • Contact
Back to Top

Copyright © 2022 • One Lovely Life • Privacy Policy

Design by Grace + Vine Studios

istisnasız her gün profesyonel sporlarla uğraşan sikiş yengesi bir süredir kapalı olan mekanlar yüzünden çok porno büyük sıkıntıya düşmüştür parası çok olan kadın porno özel bir eğitmen tutarak spora devam etmek istediğini sex söylediğinde yüzmeyi güneşlenmeyi ve bikini ile güneşin altında porno izle saatlerce uzanıp hiçbir şey yapmamayı çok seven porno izle sarışın kız evine çok uzakta olan sahil kesimine sex video gitmeye üşendiği için mahallesinin sonunda bulunan porno lüks villayı gözüne kestirerek kimsenin modern sex izle ve gelişmiş bir toplumun parçası olmak isteyen hd porno bir kafa yapısına sahip olan mature aşırı fazla porno bir modern yapısına evrilmiştir