Cucumber Quinoa Salad with Blackberries, Mint and Almond Vinaigrette

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

In a large pot, bring water to a boil. Once boiling, add 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 in the refrigerator to chill for 10–15 minutes.

While quinoa chills, place 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.

Once quinoa has chilled, add mint, salt, and pepper to the quinoa and stir until evenly mixed.

Place 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. Place the cucumber noodles into the quinoa and toss until well mixed.

In a small, microwave-safe bowl, melt almond butter until smooth and creamy, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Then, stir in red wine vinegar, agave and ginger until well mixed. While whisking, stream in olive oil until well Incorporated into vinaigrette. Finally, whisk in almond milk and a pinch of salt.

Pour the vinaigrette over the quinoa and toss until quinoa is well coated and creamy. Gently toss in blackberries and toasted almonds. Devour.