• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
A Foodcentric Life
  • Easter
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Living Well
  • Subscribe
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Easter
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Living Well
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • Easter
    • About
    • Recipes
    • Living Well
    • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » the daniel plan

    Watermelon Salad with Quinoa

    Published: Jul 10, 2013 · Modified: Jul 6, 2022 by Sally Cameron · This post may contain affiliate links · Leave a Comment

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    We just got back from a week in fantastic Toronto, Canada, and wanted to share a few highlights plus a recipe for a tasty and healthy watermelon salad with quinoa and arugula enjoyed in a local restaurant.

    watermelon salad
    Watermelon salad with arugula and quinoa.

    Watermelon Salad with Quinoa

    We love to travel, but we have not spent much time in the beautiful country just to our north: Canada. Invited to a wedding, we went in advance to explore and discover what Toronto had to offer.

    Toronto grafitti

    The fourth largest city in North America, Toronto is a multicultural marvel. With great restaurants and dining, museums, music, art, culture, architecture, sports venues, Lake Ontario, and proximity to Niagara Falls, it has plenty for everyone.

    St Lawrence Market

    St. Lawrence Market

    The first day we headed to the market. Where else would you start? St. Lawrence Market was rated the number 1 food market in the world by National Geographic. It’s a fantastic enclosed market with amazing produce, cheese, meat, seafood, wine, and specialty items. I giddily glaze over in places like this, wandering through, mind racing with inspiration for what to do with the bounty before me and wondering how much I can stuff in my luggage.

    st lawrence market

    After St Lawrence Market, we walked to the Distillery District. A designated historic site, the Distillery District is an outstanding example of Victorian industrial design from the 1800′s. Comprised of brick buildings which once housed the largest distillery in the world. Today, there are restaurants, art galleries, and shopping in truly unique stores.

    Toronto Distillery District

    One shopkeeper recommended Pure Spirits for lunch. and it was a great suggestion. You get the best recommendations by talking with people when you travel. A warm sunny day, we ate on the outdoor patio, although the inside of the restaurant looked really neat.

    Pure Spirits Restaurant

    Arugula Salad with Quinoa and Watermelon

    This recipe is my take on the terrific salad I had for lunch. A combination of baby spinach and arugula greens, the salad also had chunks of watermelon, a sprinkle of quinoa and a little cheese with a light vinaigrette. I snapped a quick picture to remember to create the recipe.

    Toronto has quite a fine dining scene. While there, we enjoyed terrific meals at Scaramouche and Harbour Sixty, but our favorite is now closed.

    Royal Ontario Museum "ROM"

    What to Do in Toronto

    Toronto has it’s share of museums. We spent a rainy afternoon at the ROM, the Royal Ontario Museum of natural history. It was fascinating with many great exhibits. Another interesting part of Toronto we had to see was Graffiti Alley. We spent hours exploring this long avenue of street art. What a place for photography! We took too many fantastic shots to share in this post, but here are a couple.

    Toronto Graffiti alley
    Toronto Graffiti alley

    If you have the opportunity to visit Toronto, go! And if you need a suggestion on where to stay, we really enjoyed the boutique Hotel Le Germain on Maple Leafs Square. It was a great location that allowed us to walk most everywhere and grab a taxi when we were too pooped from miles on foot.

    For the best website on what to do when visiting Toronto, go to See Toronto Now.I t’s packed with great ideas. And for another refreshing salad with fruit, try my orange and fennel salad.

    Toronto skyline
    Nutrition Facts
    Watermelon Salad with Quinoa
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 295 Calories from Fat 189
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 21g32%
    Saturated Fat 6g38%
    Cholesterol 25mg8%
    Sodium 351mg15%
    Potassium 489mg14%
    Carbohydrates 20g7%
    Fiber 3g13%
    Sugar 7g8%
    Protein 10g20%
    Vitamin A 3883IU78%
    Vitamin C 18mg22%
    Calcium 236mg24%
    Iron 3mg17%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
    watermelon salad with quinoa

    Watermelon Salad with Quinoa

    Sally Cameron
    Light and refreshing, this salad covers all of the bases with fresh greens, high-protein quinoa, tangy feta, sweet watermelon, and rich walnuts. It makes a nice lunch. For a heartier meal, add grilled chicken or shrimp. I’ve added my own vinaigrette to the recipe. If you are dairy-free, omit the cheese.
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 15 mins
    Cook Time 0 mins
    Total Time 15 mins
    Course Main Course, Salad
    Cuisine American
    Servings 4
    Calories 295 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    Vinaigrette

    • 2 tablespoons olive oil
    • 2-3 teaspoons champagne vinegar
    • Salt and pepper to taste

    Salad

    • 4-5 ounces arugula
    • 4-5 ounces baby spinach
    • 1 cup cooked quinoa
    • 4-6 ounces feta or ricotta salata cheese cut into small cubes or crumbled
    • 2 cups watermelon chunks
    • 4 tablespoons chopped walnuts
    • 4 teaspoons finely chopped red onion

    Instructions
     

    • Whisk oil and vinegar together in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
    • Add fresh washed greens and toss with hand to cover the greens evenly. Sprinkle on quinoa (¼ cup per person), feta, watermelon and onion.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 295kcalCarbohydrates: 20gProtein: 10gFat: 21gSaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 25mgSodium: 351mgPotassium: 489mgFiber: 3gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 3883IUVitamin C: 18mgCalcium: 236mgIron: 3mg
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
    « Tropical Mango Green Smoothie
    Sparkling Watermelon Juice with Lime »

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

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

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    chef sally cameron | afoodcentriclifecom.bigscoots-staging.com

    Welcome! I'm Sally, a classically trained chef (but you don't have to be!). My passion is cooking fresh healthy food and sharing it with others.

    More about me →

    Easter Recipes

    • Bark bites on a round display plate for serving.
      Chocolate Bark Recipe (bark bites)
    • pork tenderloin with blackberry sauce
      Pork Tenderloin with Blackberry Sauce
    • hard boiled eggs
      How to Make Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs (Easy Peel)
    • seared salmon with raspberry
      Pan Seared Salmon With Raspberry Sauce
    • crispy seared duck breast
      How to Cook Crispy Duck Breast
    • green beans almondine
      Green Beans Almondine with Lemon

    Popular Recipes

    • stamed salmon
      A Quick Lesson on How To Steam Salmon
    • Mushroom Duxelles
      Classic French Mushroom Duxelles
    • Chicken Marsala
      Chicken Marsala Recipe (without cream)
    • creamy cauliflower soup
      Smooth and Creamy Cauliflower Soup
    • white chicken chili
      Easy White Chicken Chili
    • easy chicken parmesan
      Easy Chicken Parmesan Recipe

    Footer

    as seen on

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclaimer
    • Terms & Conditions
    • Accessibility policy

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Menu

    • Home
    • About
    • Contact
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.