Blueberry Rocket Almond Salad

This Blueberry Rocket Almond Salad is a vibrant and refreshing dish perfect for a light lunch or a side. The combination of sweet blueberries, crunchy almonds and creamy feta makes it irresistible.

My local market has big buckets of fresh blueberries for sale at the moment, so this salad was born from my need to use my berries at every given opportunity. This is a great side salad or a meal in itself.

Kids in the kitchen

When my kids were little they hated anything green and leafy. So I started giving them a turn of spinning the salad spinner (they were about two). I served the leaves they spun every night as part of dinner, and low-and-behold, they eventually started to eat salad leaves (without fuss or encouragement) and enjoy them. Now they absolutely love salad leaves, even the spicy ones like rocket and mustard greens.

I also always made sure there were a couple of ingredients in the salad I knew they liked (mixed in with the greens) which made the idea of salad a lot more appealing. The blueberries here may just be your draw card.

Please to remember to persist and offer salads in many ways – they will eventually come around and like my kids, enjoy eating them.

Health benefits

Rich in antioxidants from blueberries and packed with fibre and healthy fats from quinoa and almonds, this salad provides a balanced mix of nutrients. The rocket leaves (arugula) are also a great source of vitamins A and K.

Ingredients

Rocket leaves, snow peas, blueberries, quinoa, toasted flaked almonds, and crumbled feta come together for this salad. The dressing is a zesty blend of lemon juice, olive oil, vinegar, and a hint of sweetness from rice malt syrup or honey.

How to make blueberry rocket almond salad

Combine all the salad ingredients in a large bowl. For the dressing, shake the lemon juice, olive oil, vinegar, and sweetener in a jar. Pour the dressing over the salad just before serving for maximum freshness.

Serving suggestions and how to store

This salad is delicious on its own or as a side dish with grilled fish or chicken. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge, and add the dressing just before eating to keep the salad fresh.

Vary this blueberry rocket almond salad to suit

For a dairy-free or vegan option, omit the feta or replace it with vegan cheese. For a nut-free version, swap almonds with toasted sunflower seeds. Use rice malt syrup to make it fructose-friendly.

Take a look at the variations (below the main recipe) for suggestions to alter the recipe to suit many specific dietary requirements.

For lots more sides and salad inspo, take a look at my hugely popular ebook ˜Well Nourished Sides and Salads’– where vegetables become the hero of the dish! It also includes lots of tips to get kids involved and loving their veggies. It’s great value at just $9.95, click HERE to take a look.

For more delicious, easy to make healthy salad recipes, click HERE.

Blueberry Rocket Almond Salad

Prep 10 minutes minutes

Total 10 minutes minutes

Serves: 4

This Blueberry Rocket Almond Salad is a delicious, nourishing flavour combination and a beautiful accompaniment to any meal. 

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Ingredients

• 25 g rocket leaves - washed (1 cup)
• 10 snow peas
• ½ cup/s blueberries
• 1 cup/s quinoa - cooked
• 40 g flaked almonds (¼ cup) toasted
• 40 g feta cheese (¼ cup) cow feta or goat, crumbled

Dressing

• 1 lemon/s (small) juice and zest
• 60 ml extra virgin olive oil (¼ cup)
• 1 tsp red wine vinegar - or raspberry vinegar
• 1 tsp rice malt syrup or honey

Method

• For the salad, combine the ingredients together in your salad bowl.
• For the dressing, shake the ingredients together in a jar.
• Dress the salad just prior to serving.

Variations

Dairy-free and vegan

Just omit the feta or replace it with a vegan cheese. 

Nut-free

Replace the almonds with toasted sunflower seeds.

Fructose-friendly

Choose rice malt as your sweetener. 

 

 

Love to hear how you like this salad? Also, feel free to share your tips for encouraging your kids to love their salad.

Course: Salad

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