Spring is in the air! I made this grapefruit and avocado salad the other day and it was so good that I knew I had to share it here on the blog. Once spring comes along, I'm always in the mood to make a lot of lighter dishes, and this definitely fits the bill. The base of the salad is baby spinach and I mix in quinoa, crispy chickpeas, grapefruit, avocado, toasted almonds, and parsley. The combination of flavors is so refreshing and bright. Plus, this salad has lots of plant-based protein and healthy fats.

For a dressing, I used specialty olive oil and vinegar that I get from Saratoga Olive Oil Co. in Saratoga Springs, NY. My favorite combination for this salad is the milanese gremolata olive oil and the grapefruit white balsamic vinegar. If you want to try out these flavors, you can order them online from Saratoga Olive Oil! If you don't want to invest in that, simply use a good quality olive oil, white balsamic vinegar, and a little bit of fresh grapefruit juice for the dressing.

Enjoy!

xoxo, The Secret GF

*serves 3-4

Ingredients:

1 head/package baby spinach

2 avocados

2 red grapefruits

½ cup uncooked quinoa

½ cup slivered almonds

1 15oz can chickpeas

⅓ cup chopped fresh parsley

¼ cup olive oil

½ cup white balsamic vinegar

Steps:

1. Coat the chickpeas in olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast on a baking sheet at 375⁰F for 20 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy. Add the almonds to toast during the last 5 mins of baking.

2. Cook quinoa according to package instructions.

3. While the chickpeas and quinoa are cooking, wash the spinach, chop the avocado, and peel and chop the grapefruits. Try to reserve some grapefruit juice if you can!

4. Once everything is finished cooking, mix together the spinach, avocado, chickpeas, quinoa, grapefruit, almonds, and parsley. Toss with your desired amount of olive oil and vinegar (I approximated the amounts – I usually like 1 part olive oil and 2 parts vinegar). If you have some juice from the grapefruit, add that to the dressing too.