Strawberry Summer Quinoa Salad

For the quinoa:
Bring 2 cups of vegetable stock and salt to a boil.

In the meantime, thoroughly rinse your quinoa in a fine mesh sieve and drain well.

Add quinoa to boiling water and lower heat to a simmer for about 10-15 minutes or until the water is absorbed. The quinoa should be al dente (a slight hardness but not crunchy) and not mushy.

Remove from the heat and cover with a lid. Let rest for 5-10 minutes and fluff with a fork. Add in lemon zest and juice from 1 lemon.

For the dressing:
Add 2 cups strawberries, basil, dijon, lemon zest, lemon juice and red wine vinegar to a blender. Blend to combine. With the motor running, slowly drizzle in the oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

For the salad:
In a bowl, layer the arugula, cooked quinoa, strawberries, snap peas, and cucumber. Drizzle over the strawberry basil dressing and top with crumbled goat cheese.

Notes:
• Feta is a fantastic substitute for goat cheese.
• Raspberries taste great in this recipe if you want to swap out for strawberries.
• To cool your quinoa quickly, spread it out on a cookie sheet in a thin layer.
• The strawberry basil dressing will keep for roughly 4 days in the refrigerator